Kritik und Lob » zier couldnt hand

SAINT-LO, France -- Featuring two individual time trials and a lot of mountains, the Tour de France route suits titleholder Chris Froome very well. The British allrounder, however, believes pure climbing specialists will excel in the heat of the French summer.Its a route that is very much a climbers route, Froome told The Associated Press in a TV interview ahead of the Tour starting at Mont Saint-Michel on Saturday. Even though we have two time trials, they are very hilly time trials.Those two stages take place in the second half of the 3,519-kilometer three-week race. The first one, on Stage 13, is on 37.5 kilometers of rolling terrain in the Ardeche region, and comes a day after the daunting ascent of Mont Ventoux, where Froome made his mark in 2013 for his first Tour triumph.The second time trial, in the Alps, will be the Tours first mountain time trial since the 2004 ascent of lAlpe dHuez.The guys who climb well should go right in them, Froome said.Careful of maintaining a sense of suspense until the very end of the race, Tour organizers have chiseled a well-balanced route with many opportunities for Froomes main rivals, Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador, and Fabio Aru, as well as the French duo of Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet.The race features 28 mountain passes and four very hard stages in four days in the final week, where the trio of main contenders is expected to be among the leaders and on the attack.In 2013 and 2015, Froome lost time to Quintana in the closing mountain stages. But he has slightly changed his schedule this year in order to maintain his peak longer, especially as he will be competing in the road race at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.If that different approach bears fruit, Froome should be in a better shape come the third week of the Tour.Hes coming up to top form a bit later, and hell try to hold onto that through to the Olympics and the second part of the season, Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford said. He is in great shape.In his quest to become just the eighth rider to win three Tours, Froome will be helped by the strongest team of the field. Team Sky features Sergio Henao, Mikel Landa, Woet Poels, and Geraint Thomas, who will be key assets during the nine mountain stages.Weve got a fantastic team. Ive got a lot of confidence in my teammates, Froome said at his team hotel in Normandy. I feel privileged to be in a position to be leading a lineup of guys like that. Guys who can be leaders in their own right have come here to support me. Its something that gives me a lot of confidence coming into the Tour de France.---Associated Press writer Hernan Munoz Ratto contributed to this report. Mariners Jerseys 2020 . PAUL, Minn. Seattle Mariners Gear . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Seattle Mariners Pro Shop .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Before the game, Dusty Baker didnt know who his closer would be. The Cincinnati Reds managers eventual choice turned out just right. Sam LeCure overcame two ninth-inning hits and earned the save in the Reds 2-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Shin-Soo Choo scored the decisive run in the eighth inning on Arizonas fourth wild pitch of the game. Choo scored both Cincinnati runs, helping the Reds to their third win in the four-game series. Cincinnati (73-55) improved to a season-high 18 games over .500 and increased its lead over Arizona to seven games in the race for the National Leagues second wild-card playoff spot. Choo singled to lead off the eighth against reliever Eury De La Rosa (0-1) and moved to second when De La Rosas pickoff attempt rolled away from first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Todd Frazier sacrificed Choo to third, and Choo scored when ball four to Joey Votto was a wild pitch. Mat Latos (13-4) went eight innings and earned the win, despite getting sick before he took the mound. In his previous three starts, Latos had received only five runs of offensive support. Baker was forced to use his closer Aroldis Chapman for two innings Wednesday night, making him unavailable Thursday. So LeCure was given the chance to earn his first major league save. "Sam is our utility guy," Baker said. "He can go long or short. He has a lot of guts." Latos made the most of two runs on Thursday, allowing just one run and five hits to Arizona. Latos struck out seven, didnt walk anyone, and hit one batter with a pitch. "I was sick right before the first inning," said Latos, who couldnt even keep water down. "I was sick again in the fifth inning. Its gone now but I didnt have anything left in the tank." Latos managed to save the bullpen. "Latos gave us what we wanted," Baker said. "A security guard told me he was vomiting underneath the stands." Arizona starter Trevor Cahill, in his second start since coming off the disabled list, allowed four hits and one run. He walked three, struck out seven and threw three wild pitches -- all in the third inning.dddddddddddd "He struggled that inning," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "They scored two runs on four wild pitches and an error. Its very frustrating, disappointing." Cahill allowed two hits but still faced the minimum 12 batters over his final four innings, with help from a caught stealing and a double-play ball. In the third, the Reds put runners on second and third with one out. Brandon Phillips cashed in the opportunity with a run-scoring groundout for a 1-0 lead. Cahill entered the game with 11 wild pitches this season, and now has a major league-high 14. The Diamondbacks took a more conventional route in getting even 1-1 in fourth. Adam Eaton and Goldschmidt led off with singles, Arizonas first hits off of Latos. Martin Prado hit into a double play, but Aaron Hill rapped a sharp one-hopper that third baseman Frazier couldnt handle. Hill was credited with a run-scoring infield hit. LeCure told himself he needed three outs like any other inning. "I didnt want to even let myself think of being the closer. I knew there was a possibility," LeCure said. "Chapman is our closer but I did tell him to watch out." Baker selected LeCure because he is fearless. "He doesnt have the best stuff, but hes not afraid," Baker said. "Sam was the best man. He knows how to pitch. I knew he wouldnt get rattled if there were runners on." NOTES: Cincinnati RHP Jonathan Broxton is expected to have surgery after he was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. ... The Reds moved RHP Johnny Cueto to the 60-day disabled list to open a roster spot for RHP Nick Christiani, who was called up from Triple-A Louisville. ... Arizona C Miguel Montero was 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. INF Willie Bloomquist was 2-for-3 with a run scored on Wednesday while on rehab assignments with the teams rookie-level Arizona League affiliate. ... LHP Wade Miley (9-8) is Arizonas scheduled starter in Fridays opener of a three-game series at Philadelphia. RHP Homer Bailey (8-10) is due to start at home for the Reds against Milwaukee. ' ' '