NEU » y that is mired in its worst recess

The contrasting sights of Mark Cavendish brimming with joy after winning Saturdays first stage of the Tour de France and Alberto Contador finishing -- but heavily strapped and grimacing in pain -- reminded us how unpredictable the worlds biggest bike race can be.And here is the exciting bit: The drama and suspense in the 21-stage race has only just begun. With 20 stages ahead, how the 103rd edition of the Tour will unfold is anyones guess. But looking short term after Saturdays stage -- 188 kilometers from Mont Saint Michel to Utah Beach in Normandy -- what can be forecast is that Slovakian world champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) is well-positioned to take the yellow jersey, signifying the race leader, off Cavendish (Dimension Data).To win Saturdays crash-marred Tour opener -- in which Contador was the highest-profile victim when he fell heavily on his right shoulder, elbow, hip and knee with 78 kilometers to go -- Cavendish outsprinted German stage favourite Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quick-Step) and Sagan. Many thought Cavendish would be in the fray, but few expected him to win the stage in the sprint that saw forecast tail winds slightly shift, despite another crash in the final meters. The win saw Cavendish claim the yellow jersey for the first time in his career, and he now has 27 stage wins -- one fewer than the all-time second-best mark of French legend Bernard Hinault.The main reason for doubting Cavendishs chances was the amount of work he has been doing on the velodrome in readiness for the Rio Olympics (Aug. 5-21). He has been selected for the Great Britain team to race in the omnium and be the fifth rider for the team pursuit. Cavendish shot that theory to pieces on Saturday, and going into Stage 2 -- 183 kilometers from Saint L? to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin -- he leads the Tour overall, with the time bonuses for his win having him four seconds ahead of Kittel in second and six seconds up on Sagan.However, Sagan is best-suited of the leading trio to gain more time and possibly take the yellow jersey in Sundays second stage since it is a lumpier stage and, most importantly, finishes uphill. Cavendish is realistic about his prospects, but will certainly not go down without a fight. Hopefully I can do this jersey some justice tomorrow, Cavendish said. I dont know. Its been a very long time since we had a very long straight finish [like in Stage 1]. What will happen tomorrow? I dont know well see. I might be dead tomorrow.Pressed on whether he felt that finally claiming the yellow jersey would add to the respect of his peers in the peloton, the Manx Missile said: Its easy to forget that this is my 10th Tour de France, you know. From the beginning I had the pressure to win. You kind of dont know anything different. Since those days, ever since 2008, its been the end of me: Do you know what I mean? I guess its something to talk about. Theres some great people in cycling, as well as some people I dont get along with. I have some incredible friends the sport has given me.Alberto Contador: The Tour de France doesnt end hereMeanwhile, for Contador (Tinkoff), Saturdays start was one he will want to forget. The two-time Tour winner-- and one of the major favorites this year -- was one of a number of riders who crashed as the peloton exited a roundabout 110 kilometers into the stage. There was a lot of tension because we were fighting for positions at the front to avoid the wind, Contador said of the crash. We were paying attention, but I saw a central reservation too late and the front wheel went to the side. Its bad luck; Im screwed.The sight immediately raised fears of how badly the Spaniard had hurt his right shoulder because he fell on that side, dislocating his shoulder, during last years Giro dItalia. Quickly, Contador, who crashed out of the 2014 Tour on Stage 10 with a broken tibia, had five teammates drop back to help him rejoin the peloton as it pursued a leading breakaway.Once back in the peloton, he first had to replace his right shoe that was damaged in the fall, switching it for a new one from his team car. This left him temporarily pedaling in a sock. Contador, his jersey shredded, then sought attention from the Tours official medical car. The race doctor was soon heavily strapping Contadors shoulder while he held on to the car. Contador eventually finished the stage in 86th place, but at the same time as Cavendish. (Race laws say that if cyclist crashes inside the last 3 kilometers of the race, he doesnt lose time.)A Tour medical report later confirmed he had not sustained broken bones, but the abrasions to his shoulder, elbow, hip and knee will make for several painful days as he recovers. We know how cycling is, Contador said. Months of preparation and the first day youre on the ground. Ill try to pass the next few days the best I can to recover before the mountains.But in trademark fashion, the 33-year-old was defiant about the crash ending his Tour-winning ambitions. My shoulder hurts depending on my position, but the Tour de France doesnt end here, said the 2007 and 2009 Tour winner. I want to be optimistic. Im thinking of taking a maximum profit of the hours ahead of tomorrows uphill finish to recover. Boston Celtics Store . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. Celtics Jerseys 2019 . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. https://www.cheapceltics.com/682n-gordon-hayward-jersey-celtics.html . 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Paralympic Games are in the home stretch, having overcome budget problems to stage a highly successful competition that has seen higher-than-expected attendance and a slew of record-setting performances.About 4,350 athletes are competing, each with unique differences that have to be classified. Lines have to be drawn to group similar impairments, or impairments that yield similar results. There are 10 impairment groups based on physical, visual and intellectual criteria. But the 22 Paralympic sports adjust the groups to suit their individual events, swelling the classifications to hundreds.The games needed a bailout from Brazils government of almost $80 million to make it to the starting line. Only 200,000 tickets had been sold a few weeks before the opening ceremony Aug. 7, but officials said demand picked up and they had sold nearly their goal of 2.4 million. That is partly a result of the price for many tickets, only 10 Brazilian reals ($3) -- an enticing offer in a country that is mired in its worst recession in decades.The Paralympics are more than a benign version of the Olympics. In fact, a few performances have beenn better than the Olympics.ddddddddddddThe top four runners in the mens 1,500-meter Sunday -- in the T13 class for visually impaired -- all had better times than the Olympic champion in last months Rio Olympics, American Matthew Centrowitz. Abdellatif Baka of Algeria won in 3 minutes, 48.28 seconds. Centrowitz ran 3:50.00 in an admittedly slow, tactical race. Ethiopias Tamiru Demisse in second, Kenyas Henry Kirwa at third and Algerias Fouad Baka in fourth also beat Centrowitzs time.In many countries, Paralympians get significantly less support than Olympians. The U.S. Olympic Committee awards athletes $25,000 for a gold medal. American Paralympic athletes get $5,000.One sport at the Paralympics that doesnt appear in any form at the Olympics is goalball, in which athletes with visual impairments wear masks to completely block their vision. The athletes try to throw or roll the ball past the end line with opposing defenders trying to block the ball. The ball contains a bell so the athletes are able to react to the shot. ' ' '