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:Forwards (13): D Cole

ANNECY-SEMNOZ, France -- Chris Froome retained his big race lead Saturday to ensure that he will become Britains second successive Tour de France champion after Bradley Wiggins. Wholesale Air Jordan Shoes . Only an accident or other freak mishap on Sundays largely ceremonial final ride to Paris could stop Froome from winning the 100th Tour. Froome finished third in a dramatic Stage 20 to the ski station of Annecy-Semnoz in the Alps that decided the other podium placings. Nairo Quintana from Colombia won the stage and moved up to second overall. Joaquim Rodriguez from Spain rode in 17 seconds behind Quintana. He moved up to third overall. Froomes lead is more than five minutes over both those two. Alberto Contador, who had been second at the start of the day, struggled on the final climb and dropped off the podium. The 125-kilometre trek was the last of four successive stages in the Alps and the final significant obstacle Froome needed to overcome before Sundays usually relaxed ride to the finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. That 133-kilometre jaunt starts in Versailles. Froomes dominance at this Tour was such that this victory could very well be the first of several. At 28, he is entering peak years for a bike racer. He proved at this Tour that he excels both in climbs and time trials -- skills essential for those who want to win cyclings premier race. He also handled with poise and aplomb questions about doping in cycling and suspicions about the strength of his own performances. He insisted that he raced clean. Froome first took the race lead and the yellow jersey that goes with it on Stage 8, when he won the climb to the Ax-3 Domaines ski station in the Pyrenees. On Sundays Stage 21, he will wear the yellow jersey for the 13th straight day. Froome told French television that when he passed the sign showing 2 kilometres to go on Saturdays final climb, "for the first time I realized that it was almost won." "It was hard today," he said. "Rodriguez and Quintana raced very strongly." Sunday "will be a day for sprinters on the Champs-Elysees. For us, it is done." Saturdays stage did a big loop south of Annecy, through the mountains of Savoie between the lakes of Annecy and Bourget. This is cheese-making country, with lush Alpine pastures and dense, naturally cool forests. Quintanas win also secured him the spotted jersey awarded to riders who pick up the most points on mountain climbs. He also retained the white jersey as the Tours best young rider. He wiped away tears in his news conference as stage winner. "I couldnt ask for more," he said. "I got nearly everything. It was fabulous." "Its a very special day in Colombia. A big party and the whole of Colombia is celebrating." Unlike on Friday, when storms drenched the pack, the sun shone and the skies were blue on Sataurday. When a motorbike-borne television camera focused on Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, he motioned that riding in such conditions was hot, tiring work. The ride took the racers up six climbs. The last two of those were particularly tough. The last steep climb to Annecy-Semnoz, past ski lifts and ski slopes, was rated HC or "Hors Categorie", meaning its considered too hard to classify. It was the last really tough climb of this Tour. The riders have just two small humps to climb on their leisurely Sunday ride from the Versailles Palace to the Champs-Elysees cobbles, where sprinters including Mark Cavendish will battle for the stage win. Uniquely for the 100th Tour, Stage 21 will set off in the late afternoon, so the race finishes more or less as the sun is setting behind the Arc de Triomphe. For a chunk of Saturday, the race was led by its oldest rider, Jens Voigt. The 41-year-old German was part of a group of 10 riders that broke away fromn the pack early in the stage. "Since Im almost sure that this was my last Tour, I wanted to say a proper goodbye," said Voigt. "I gave eveything," he said. "Im happy and now it is over for me." He was caught in the battle on the final climb. Quintana, Froome and Rodriguez rode off, leaving Contador to labour behind. The winner of 2007 and 09 who was stripped of his 2010 victory and banned for a failed doping test ran out of legs. Contador placed 7th in the stage, coming in more than 2 minutes behind Quintana. That dropped him to 4th overall, more than seven minutes back from Froome. Canadas Ryder Hesjedal is 69th overall after finishing the stage in 85th. David Veilleux of Cap-Rouge, Que., is 122nd overall while Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., is last at 170th.Air Jordan Shoes For Sale Cheap . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Air Jordan Shoes From China . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. http://www.cheapairjordanretro.com/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Semesa Rokoduguni and Alex Goode are set to start Englands clash with Fiji on Saturday but Tom Wood has been dropped for the second autumn international at Twickenham.Baths Rokoduguni is poised to win only his second cap, after making his debut against New Zealand two years ago, and will line up on the right wing against the nation of his birth at the expense of Marland Yarde.The 29-year-old, who has served with the British Army in Afghanistan, is among the Aviva Premierships form players this season having beaten more defenders, made more clean breaks and gained more metres than any rival.He is set to be joined in the back three by Goode, the reigning Premiership player of the year who will be making his first start under head coach Eddie Jones in place of Mike Brown.Brown remains among the 25 retained at the squads Surrey training base -- the starting XV is named on Thursday morning -- but Wood has been omitted despite a solid performance in Saturdays 37-21 victory over South Africa.Stepping into the breach at openside will be either Nathan Hughes or Teimana Harrison, who is a surprise inclusion and with only 13 forwards kept by Jones, he is destined to play a role against Fiji.Hughes was unable to train Tuesday due to a lower leg injury but is expected to be ready for Thursdays final session of the week.Number eight Billy Vunipola was due to sit out training until Thursday due to upper body soreness, but he played a full role on Tuesday and there are no doubts over his fitness.There is shaping up to be only one change to the pack that started against South Africa with either Hughes or Harrison featuring, while behind the scrum Jonathan Joseph appears to have regained his place at the expense of Elliot Daly.It is the back three that provides the biggest talking poinnts, however, with Rokoduguni and Goode making long-awaited returns. Cheap Air Jordan Free Shipping. Goodes absence has been one of more the puzzling elements of Jones reign given his form for Saracens and the vision he offers at full-back. Apart from a replacement appearance against Italy in February, it has been an unrewarding period for the 28-year-old.Jones has held misgivings over his speed and defensive technique, but the Fiji match is now the platform for him to reignite his Test career, while Brown -- one of the squads three vice-captains -- comes to terms with being dropped by the Australian head coach for the first time.Alongside Goode will be a man described by Bath teammate George Ford as probably the most dangerous player and best finisher I have ever played with.Rokoduguni was dropped after a 24-21 defeat by New Zealand in 2014, never to reappear during the stewardship of Stuart Lancaster amid mixed messages when explaining his descent out of favour.England 25-man squad retained for Saturdays game against Fiji at Twickenham:Forwards (13): D Cole (Leicester Tigers), C Ewels (Bath Rugby), J George (Saracens), T Harrison (Northampton Saints), D Hartley (Northampton Saints, capt), N Hughes (Wasps), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton Saints), J Marler (Harlequins), C Robshaw (Harlequins), K Sinckler (Harlequins), B Vunipola (Saracens), M Vunipola (Saracens).Backs (12): M Brown (Harlequins), D Care (Harlequins), E Daly (Wasps), O Farrell (Saracens), G Ford (Bath Rugby), A Goode (Saracens), J Joseph (Bath Rugby), J May (Gloucester Rugby), S Rokoduguni (Bath Rugby), H Slade (Exeter Chiefs), B Teo (Worcester Warriors), B Youngs (Leicester Tigers). 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  • Created: May 22 '19
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