openings that led into devastating combos. At the same time

SAINT-GERVAIS MONT BLANC -- Chris Froome was relieved to have finished relatively unscathed, albeit sore. He knew too well that his crash on Friday could have cost him a likely third Tour de France title.He is also aware that Saturdays final day in the mountains poses a similar danger, with rain again forecast and with the fight for the podium just as tight as it was 24 hours earlier.Froome has been saying throughout this Tour that winning would be the toughest challenge of his career. That may well prove to be, even though the Briton extended his overall lead again -- but over a reshuffled deck of rivals -- in a crash-marred and rain-stricken 146-kilometer Stage 19 in the Alps on Friday from Albertville to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc.The stage unfolded as a story of misadventure for so many, including Froome, who crashed with 11.2 km to go on the final descent and nearing the last of four climbs of the day, the 9.8-km ascent to Le Bettex overlooking Saint Gervais Mont Blanc.Its ironic really. I was trying to stay up front and out of trouble, [but] I just hit one of the white lines and lost my wheel, said Froome, who abandoned his first Tour defence in 2014 following several early-stage crashes in slippery conditions.Im OK. Im lucky, nothing is seriously injured. I just lost a little skin and banged my knee a bit. Today was that kind of day, that Im grateful to have a four-minute advantage to fall back on.Froome (Sky) went down heavily on his right shoulder, elbow and knee as he and Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) slipped on the white lane marker in the middle of the road.Fortunately for Froome, he had teammates nearby. They included Welshman Geraint Thomas, who immediately gave Froome his bike when the Tour leader realised his was damaged in the spill. Three other teammates -- Dutchman Wouter Poels and the Spanish duo of Mikel Landa and Sergio Henao -- were able to bring him back to the group of overall contenders.It was great to have all the team around me, said Froome, the 2013 and 2015 champion. Wout in particular ... all the guys. It was a great team effort. It feels good to be one day closer to Paris.It was soon after Froome crashed that Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r) set off in pursuit of stage leader Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida). Bardet eventually overhauled the Portuguese to secure the first stage win by a French rider in this years Tour.Bardet also moved up from fifth place overall to second -- four minutes, 11 seconds behind Froome.?Froome finished the stage on Poels wheel with his yellow jersey torn on the upper right, back at 36 seconds to Bardet, who won the stage by 23 seconds from a group of three riders: Spains Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) in third, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in fourth, and South African Louis Meintjes (Lampre-Merida) in fifth.Behind them followed a mishmash of exhausted riders, including two other overall contenders who, like Froome, also crashed in the wet, slippery conditions.They were Australian Richie Porte (BMC) in 10th at 53 seconds -- now up one place into fifth but at five minutes, 17 seconds off the front -- and Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), who finished 23rd and plummeted from second overall to 10th, a full seven minutes, 42 seconds back.It was a terrible day for the Netherlands. Dutchman Tom Dumoulin also crashed and quit the Tour with a fractured left wrist, placing in serious doubt his availability for the Olympic Games in Rio, where he was a gold-medal favourite for the time trial.While Froome leads Bardet by a lengthy margin, the time gap between second and fifth places overall is 65 seconds, while between third and fifth the margin is 50 seconds.After Froome and Bardet, Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar) is now third at 4:27, while Briton Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) is fourth at 4:46 after being handed a 10-second time penalty for receiving an illegal hand sling, and Porte in fifth at 5:17.Stage 20, 146.5 km from Megève to Morzine in the Alps, includes four categorized climbs, the last of which is followed by a tricky and sinewy descent to the finish line.Its going to be hard, really hard, said Froome. Ill be stiff and sore. Hopefully, Im going to rely on my teammates and just have one last push to get through [the] stage.Despite the myriad crashes, Bardet fully deserved the accolades that came his way.I was thinking about the general classification, but when Costa was dropped, I also thought about the stage win, Bardet said. Now I am in second place, and I hope to retain that position tomorrow. One more big mountain stage, so I am satisfied with the situation now.Bardet, who won Stage 18 last year, said his winning moved was not planned. Its the way I like to race, to have fun, with audacity, he said.Last year, the stage win was the goal, this year, I was really working on the GC. Today the rain made it even harder. To win, you have to take risks. I knew this climb, and I knew my bearings, and I knew where I could attack.I was hearing comments that there have been no attacks in this Tour, but we are all very fatigued I also knew I am in the best shape of my life. I just raced today, without any plan.Similarly, Bardet will not forget to enjoy the rest of the Tour that finishes on Sunday with the 21st stage from Chantilly to the Champs élysées in Paris that will suit the sprinters.I want to enjoy this, and take it as it comes, Bardet said. Last year, I tried to defend the climbers jersey, and I could not sleep at night. Now I am more relaxed, and if I manage to finish on the podium in Paris, it will be like a fairytale. cheap nba jerseys . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. wholesale china nfl jerseys . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. http://www.cheapchinanfljerseyswholesale.com/ . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. discount nfl jerseys . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. cheap nba jerseys china .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. With his back against the wall, Joseph Mango Marquez managed to pick up his third win at the Big House 6. It wasnt always smooth sailing; things looked nerve-racking for Mango as he narrowly squeezed into top-8 after a close five-game set with Ryan The Moon Coker-Welch.Mango chuckled, I gambled hard on the set and if he went for a forward-smash instead of extending the combo, I would have lost.Along the journey, some of the other gods of Melee werent as fortunate. Juan Hungrybox Debiedma suffered a three-game sweep against Zachary SFAT Cordoni, who put on a clinic in the Fox vs. Jigglypuff matchup. Also, Jason Mew2King Zimmerman fell to the losers bracket after Otto Silent Wolf Bisno took him out in a close set.In many Majors, Mango falls into the losers bracket early and tends to run out of steam by grand finals. This time around, he had an extra life to work with. In the winners semifinals, he lost the first two-games to rival Adam Armada Lindgren, but hit a groove with a reverse three-game sweep to qualify for the winners finals. Surprisingly, Mustafa Ice Akcakaya qualified for the winners finals on the other side of the bracket after sweeping SFAT in three games.With a solid defensive gameplan, Mango won in three quick games as Falco against Ice. Meanwhile in losers, Armada gained momentum as he defeated Hungrybox, Mew2King and Ice with little trouble. Fans weere elated to see another Armada-Mango grand finals.ddddddddddddIn the first set, Armada looked prepared for Mangos Fox after playing Ices Fox in the losers finals. He found several openings that led into devastating combos. At the same time, Mango frequently missed inputs, which cost him multiple stocks. Mango took a game, but Armada ended up taking the first set to reset the bracket.In the second and final set, Mango started strong, taking Game 1 on Fountain of Dreams. Armada struck back by taking the next two games. With everything to lose, Mango recollected himself by slowing down the tempo and forcing Armada to make the first move. The plan worked, with the momentum shifting in Mangos favor as he took Game 4 to even the set count to 2-2. With one final counterpick, Armada chose Dreamland, a large stage with plenty of room to roam around.The extra space ended up working in Mangos favor as he dictated the pacing of the match, utilizing lasers and extra space to force Armada to overextend. Mango took an early lead and never relented to take the final game and his third Big House singles trophy. After winning, Mango said, It was sloppy, but well take it. I kept telling myself, If I do what I need to do. Then, [Armada] cant do anything. ' ' '