ALICANTE, Spain -- The 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be the longest in the round-the-world sailing events history at close to 44,000 nautical miles, and will feature a sharp increase in the distance sailed in the fierce conditions of the Southern Ocean, organizers announced Wednesday.The 13th edition of the race, which dates back to 1973 when it was known as the Whitbread Round the World Race, will start from the races home port of Alicante, Spain in late 2017.Altogether, the route will take in a total of 11 Host Cities -- Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajai, Brazil, Newport, Rhode Island, Cardiff, Wales, Gothenburg, Sweden and The Hague.The key tests for the teams over eight months of competition will come on the long leg from Cape Town to Hong Kong -- over 12,000 nautical miles -- and on the shorter run from Auckland, around Cape Horn, to Itajai. Both legs will take the sailors deep into the Southern Ocean.Were returning to our roots, said the races British CEO Mark Turner as he looked ahead to the potential for strong winds, ice and huge waves in the waters above Antarctica.Were going back to the Southern Ocean in a big way, and in particular on the monster leg from Cape Town up to Hong Kong.The short section from Hong Kong to Guangzhou in mainland China will be a non-scoring transition, Turner explained.The official race distance is given as 43,750 nautical miles (50,350 miles; 81,025 kms). That compares to 39,000 nautical miles in the last edition in 2014-15. NMD Human Race Australia . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Ultra Boost Australia . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/nmd-cs1-shoes-australia.html . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. NMD Clearance Sale . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Adidas NMD R1 Australia . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Damien Oliver has failed to add to his Group One tally during the Melbourne spring carnival but heads to his home state of Western Australia with the chance to win his first Railway Stakes.Oliver has won more than 100 Group One races and rides Mackintosh in the $1 million Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday, chasing his first elite-level win this season.Oliver missed the Cox Plate meeting and Derby Day at Flemington becasue of a 20-meeting reckless riding suspension which cost him the ride on Flying Artie who won the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes.Mackintosh has been well-performed in the eastern states this spring, winning the Group Two Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) first-up beefore finishing third in the Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.ddddddddddddHe then finished a close fifth in the Group One Cantala Stakes over 1600m at Flemington and has 54kg in Saturdays Railway.Mackintoshs weight is at the low-end of Olivers range.But Ill do it, Oliver said.I think hes a great chance, so 54 I can do. But thats about my lowest.Oliver, 44, has been based in Melbourne since he was an apprentice but hails from Western Australia and has had a number of rides in the Railway, one of Perths biggest races.Id love to win it, he said. ' ' '
