ge age of the players in that group is 21.9, though this event last year saw a tour v from LAM's blog
PARIS, France -- As Chris Froome stepped off the podium with another Tour de France champions yellow jersey Sunday, his rivals and many observers were left asking two questions. Larry Warford Jersey .Firstly, how could the triple Tour champion be beaten, and what can be done to stop his teams domination that stifled the three-week race of excitement.Make no mistake, the Tour remains the worlds biggest and most prestigious bike race. It is also an event that far exceeds its purpose as a sporting event, as race director Christian Prudhomme reminded on Saturday. At Morzine, he first spoke of Sky, comparing them to the Paris Saint Germain of French football, but then directed his thoughts to the Tours social impact on society.On the road of the Tour there are hundreds of thousands and millions with smiles on their faces, said Prudhomme, adding in reference to recent terrorist attacks such as the July 14 Bastille Day tragedy in Nice.We had smiles on the faces [of those fans], but it was not only for the champions. They said, We want to live as we want to live in our Western World.However, turning back to the face of the Tour as a sporting event, many believe this years race will not go down as one of the memorable because of Skys stranglehold. That is not to detract from the achievement of Sky and Froome and even his main rivals.Sky selected a Tour team stacked with winners in their own right. They protected Froome in every front, especially in the Pyrenees and Alps where they rode at a tempo so strong that it stifled anyones ability to attack. Prudhomme believes reducing team sizes to from nine to eight riders would animate the Tour.More than ever, its time to have teams with one less rider, said Prudhomme who, like many, felt that Skys collective strength basically shut down the race in the mountains.Nevertheless, Prudhomme expects many team managers would need convincing of this proposal that would also need the ratification from the Union Cycliste Internationale.The biggest teams would not want to even like to hear of this talk, Prudhomme said. But perhaps they can understand that it is about the greater interest of cycling.Matt White, head sports director of the Orica-BikeExchange team that saw Briton Adam Yates finishing fourth overall and winning the white jersey as the Tours best young rider, was all praise for Froome.He is a Tour great, White told ESPN. But it is not just because of his results. A lot of riders win the Tour. What stands out is the way he has handled unfair criticism of their team and the alleged this and alleged that ...But White believes several things have led to a lack of excitement in a Tour dominated by Sky. He cited Skys superior annual budget, the stage lengths, and a peloton that is cleaner than that of the dope-fueled 1990s and early 2000s.Asked if he is better versed on how to beat Sky and Froome now that Orica-Bike Exchange has gone up against the Briton in the race for general classification with Yates, White said: They have very few weaknesses, and I guess ours is our bank account.It is hard to compete with those guys with the budget they have got. Seven of their riders here would be our highest-paid athlete. Then you have got guys like Leopold K?enig who was sixth in the Tour last year is not even here ... Nicolas Roche too.Every single rider on Sky [in their Tour team], except for the two work horses -- Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard -- would be a leader of any other team. That is what we are dealing with.During this years Tour, four of 21 stages were longer than 200 kilometers. We dont have to keep racing the same distance as we have been since time began, White said. Its been proven that shorter races make more exciting races. Team time trials are a great event. They should be included every year in the Tour.White also believes less doping has impacted riders ability to attack.The sport has changed for the good, but it shows now that people are human, White said. Thats a good change but maybe that has made the racing a bit more negative because people are human. People cant do superhuman things any more, and we have seen that.Take Froome out of the equation with his super team ... between second and 10th places it would be the closest Tour in modern cycling. Why? All those riders are on a similar level.When things are so close [on the general classification] people are cautious. That is because theyre not superhuman. They have to make more judged analytical decisions.Charly Wegelius, head sports director of the American Cannondale-Drapac team, lauded Sky its ironclad and talent-rich structure that is based solely around the annual goal of Froome winning another Tour.I dont agree it is a gamble because if you have Chris Froome in your team you have a very clear objective, Wegelius told ESPN. If you dont keep him upright or the air doesnt stay in his tires you just wait for next year. Its so easy to look at their strategy as an example but ... the resources are unlimited.I think they have managed them very well and they are very smart, but its very easy to make a strategy when you dont have to make a Plan B, C, D, E and F. Nobody wants to spread themselves thin, but the reality at the other end of the table is quite different.Somebody in the management of that organisation makes sure that nine highly paid and highly motivated athletes with short careers stay in the order in which you out them. There is probably financial and security aspects to that, but everybody knows that bike riders are ambitious, and to keep that discipline ... I cant imagine that is straightforward.Wegelius understandably rates Froome highly. He said: [Froomes teammates] can make the tempo, but if he is standing there with one leg up and one leg down because he hasnt got the legs, it is useless. He gets the best possible ride, but at the end of the day when those riders have exhausted themselves, he can still go, which means he must be pretty strong.But Wegelius empathizes with those who lament this Tours lack of X factor, saying: I can understand that the race hasnt been interesting for people watching Sky smother things. As a kind of old-fashioned cycling fan, I just cant watch it. Even though Id like to see him do it in a more attractive way for the sake of it, he seems to be the best. Cheap Saints Jerseys China . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Autographed Saints Jerseys . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. http://www.cheapsaintsjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-archie-manning-jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. NAPLES, Fla. -- By Lydia Kos standards, this is a major slump.She hasnt won in nine starts since mid-July, her best finish being a silver medal at the Rio Olympics. She hasnt been among the top 10 in any of her last five starts and wasnt even in the top 40 in three of those.Despite all that, all the big prizes -- player of the year, money title, scoring title and the yearlong points chase called the Race to the CME Globe -- are well within Kos reach this week. The LPGA Tour season wraps up with the CME Group Tour Championship that starts Thursday, when Ariya Jutanugarn and Ko will basically go head to head for year-end honors.Obviously, Im not coming into this week with the greatest form, said Ko, who won the Globe in its inaugural season in 2014 and retained it last year. But I still feel like its been a season where Im really proud of it. For me to be in this position, to have an opportunity to go for the Globe again -- and all the other things -- its a pretty cool position to be in.Only a win this week would be enough to give Ko her second straight player-of-the-year award; any other result, and that title goes to Jutanugarn. They come in separated by $17,305 in the money standings, and Ko (69.611) enters with a minuscule edge over In Gee Chun (69.632) for the Vare Trophy presented to the player with the lowest scoring average.It would be a pretty special Sunday, Ko said.Its probably going to be anyway, whether thats the case for Ko or someone else. The LPGA got a dream scenario last season, when all the trophies were decided in the final holes on the final day.Such a scene could repeat itself this week, and the LPGA wouldnt mind some final-hour drama.Im not going to be nervous, Jutanugarn said.The points in the CME Globe standings reset for the final week, so Jutanugarn, Ko and Brooke Henderson all truly control their destinies when itt comes to the $1 million bonus that goes to the points champion. Ryan Ramczyk Jersey. Win this week, and the Globe is hers.Going into this year it was a big goal of mine to be in the top three and give myself a great opportunity in the final event of the year, Henderson said. Im really looking forward to it. I know itll be a tough week, a tough four rounds, but I know if I get off to a fast start and am able to play my game, maybe good things will happen.Jutanugarn turns 21 next week. Still, shes the elder stateswoman among the three who arrived in Naples this week with the most realistic chances of hoisting the CME Globe on Sunday.Im old? she asked.Well, yes, in this example.Ko, who has been the worlds No. 1 player for more than a year and will remain there for the foreseeable future, is 19. Henderson turned 19 in September. Of the nine players with a mathematical chance of finishing atop this years Race to the CME Globe standings, the oldest -- Shanshan Feng -- is all of 27.The average age of the players in that group is 21.9, though this event last year saw a tour veteran prevail.Definitely felt like a walk-off home run, said defending tournament champion Cristie Kerr, who is 39, essentially meaning shes been alive as long as Jutanugarn and Ko combined. Yeah, Ive had great memories since Ive been back walking around kind of remembering some of the shots I hit or how I felt. Ive played pretty well the last couple days, so fingers crossed.DIVOTS: Ko won on the Tiburon course in Naples two years ago, finishing at 10-under 278. Kerrs winning score last year was 271. ... As was the case last year, the three players atop the Globe points standings -- this time, Jutanugarn, Henderson and Ko -- will play together on Thursday. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
The Wall