ERST LESEN! » pian Hores rowing career.Hore broke down in

SAINT GERVAIS MONT BLANC, France -- As Chris Froome heads toward victory in the Tour de France with a trail of rivals fighting for the podium places next to him, further back in the field -- way, way back -- the little known or seen battle just to finish the race on Sunday continues.It is the race for those who will have little or no say in the final overall outcome, or who at best are sprinters or domestiques for the fast finishers who are saving themselves for one more crack at a stage win in Sundays flat 21st stage from Chantilly to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.But there are also a large number of them who are just struggling to survive and reach Paris for the honour of saying after three weeks of racing that they are a Tour de France finisher.Whatever category these riders fall into, this late in the Tour they will work together in the grupetto -- the group that forms after the overall contenders increase the ante up front, creating a pace that for most riders behind them is too hard to maintain.Its no matter that they may be from rival teams and on any other day intent on racing against each other. Now they race with each other at a pace calculated to finish within the days time limit, as as they did in Fridays 146-kilometer 19th stage from Albertville to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc in the Alps and will do so again on Saturday in Stage 20, 146.5km from Megeve to Morzine.Survive that stage and the grupetto?-- barring disaster -- should all reach Paris on Sunday.Bernhard Eisel (Dimension Data), 35, an 11-time Tour rider from Austria and one of the key lead-out riders for British sprinter Mark Cavendish -- who left the race on Tuesday to focus on his Olympic Games preparation -- speaks of a special camaraderie within the grupetto.It is a spirit that grows especially in the third week when the suffering ramps up.It definitely started after the second rest day [on Tuesday], Eisel told ESPN in Albertville before Fridays start to Stage 19. These last two mountain stages [Thursday and Friday], this is where the pressure builds up and it gets a little bit more nervous. Will there be a grupetto? Will I get dropped before? Thats the crucial point.If you get dropped before the grupetto?is formed then it is a long long day for you.Eisel said the Tour is different in the first and second weeks for the peloton as most riders try to hang on as long as they can and the group forms really late; whereas in the third week the grupetto?usually forms early through accumulated exhaustion suddenly kicking in and the realisation that just finishing the stage within the time limit is the one real goal left.In the last week we try to look after each other, added Eisel, who as one of the senior riders is often tasked with setting the grupettos?pace. I try to look after the guys every day. It doesnt matter which team he is from or where he is from because I know how hard it is.Eisel began Fridays stage 174th overall from 177 riders, at 3 hours, 45 minutes, 21 seconds to Froome. By the end of a day marred by a crashes, Eisel was 172nd from 175 riders at 4:21:17 after placing 170th at 31:44 to French stage winner Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale). Bardet is now second overall at 4:11 to Froome, with Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar) third at 4:27.Eisels result aside, the Tour has been a huge success for him in light of his role in helping Cavendish win four stages and enjoy a day in the yellow leaders jersey after his first win.With Cavendishs victories, Eisels South African-registered Dimension Data team can add a fifth, with Briton Stephen Cummings win in Stage 7. They have also been present in many breaks with the likes of Belgian Serge Pauwels and Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen.Five stage wins is incredible. We hoped for two, Eisel said. We had the [yellow] jersey for one day and pretty much managed everything on the first stage. There on it was a nice flow.We pretty much havent missed a breakaway. We are definitely showing the jersey.Regarding Cavendish, who has been selected for the Olympics in Rio to race in the omnium on the track and be Team GBs fifth rider for the team pursuit, Eisel said: He is on fire. We saw him creeping before the Tour.He was a little bit sick. He turned it over. It was probably good he had a rest before the Tour. He got his legs spinning and in the end he was definitely the strongest ... at least the fastest [here].At the same time, thats why I think it was a good decision to go home and concentrate on the Olympics ... [to] get a little rest before he goes back to the track.Doug Williams Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Art Monk Youth Jersey . JOHNS, N. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-Bryce-Love-Inverted-Jersey/ . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Joe Theismann Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Russ Grimm Redskins Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged.Australia have claimed the inaugural womens rugby sevens gold medal on day three of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with a 24-17 victory over New Zealand in the final in Rio.The Australians entered the womens competition as raging gold medal favourites and they didnt disappoint -- stretching the countys gold medal tally to four.Star guards Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills combined for 49 points in a 95-80 win over Serbia on Monday as Australia took a giant stride towards a top-two group finish in the Olympic mens basketball competition.The Boomers will now meet the all-conquering United States on Thursday and are confident of challenging the world champions.In the swimming pool, Australia have suffered two devastating defeats with Mitch Larkin and Emily Seebohm both missing a medal in their respective 100m backstroke finals.Larkin and Seebohm, pool deck partners, went into the meet as hot race favourites having each completed the 100m-200m backstroke double at the 2015 world championships in Kazan, Russia, but they suffered double disappointment after each lead at the turn.Larkin finished fourth behind winner Ryan Murphy of the United States, while Seebohm slumped to seventh in her race.The Rio Olympics will be Alicia Coutts swimming farewell but she could go out in style after qualifying sixth-fastest for the 200m individual medley semi-finals.Coutts, who won five medals at the London Games, matching Ian Thorpe and Shane Gould for most medals by an Australian at one Olympics, was second in her heat.Just knowing that I have got nothing to lose, Im here to give it everything I have got and after this event I have other things to look forward to.Emma McKeon and Bronte Barratt are through to the womens 200m freestyle final after touching the wall in second and fourth in the first semi while Grant Irvine clocked the fourth best time ahead of the mens 200m butterfly semis.A last-gasp shot and four goals from Richie Campbell helped Australia snatch a 9-9 draw in their clash with water polo powerhouse Hungary.Samantha Stosur has marched into the third round of the womens singles with a straight sets win at the Olympic tennis centre.The top-seeded Australian eliminated Japans Misaki Doi 6-3 6-4. Stosur will next face German second seed and Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber.John Millman has blown a massivve chance to join Stosur in the third round of the Olympic tennis singles, almost toppling fourth seed Kei Nishikori.dddddddddddd The Australian was beaten?7-6 (7-4) 6-4, but does leave Rio as the first player in Olympic history to win a match?6-0 6-0 -- after his round one drubbing of?Lithuanian Ricardis Berankis.Jessica Fox has progressed to the semi-finals of the K1 canoe slalom after finishing second in her qualification runs at the Rio Olympics.Foxs penalty-free second run gave her a score of 99.51, leaving her just behind fastest qualifier Stefanie Horn (99.07) from Italy at the Whitewater Stadium in Deodoro on Monday.Australias mens four is also into Wednesdays semi-finals as they moved a step closer to toppling Britains dominance of the event when they posted the fastest time in Tuesdays heats.Australia sits in the box seat for double equestrian gold with one round left of the three day eventing at the Rio Games with Chris Burton leading the individual rankings and Australia on top of the teams event with the show jumping to finish off the competition.In rowing, the Australian mens four have moved a step closer to reviving the Oarsome Foursome tag after posting the fastest heat time at Lagoa Stadium.Veteran Australian rower Kerry Hore had to be consoled by her teammates as the devastation of missing the womens quad scull Olympic final set in.The Australians missed the medal race by a heart-breaking 0.06 seconds, bringing an end to four-time Olympian Hores rowing career.Hore broke down in tears during the post-race interview with her teammates supporting the sobbing Tasmanian.This wasnt how I pictured finishing up, the 35-year-old said.Australian sailor Ashley Stoddart has finished eighth in her first race in the Laser Radial in Rio.Adam Vella has admitted the controversy around the selection of Australias male trap shooters played a part in their disappointing performance at the Rio Olympics.Three-time Olympian Vella confirmed his Games career was over after finishing 12th while teammate Mitchell Iles was 26th.Meanwhile, Australia is last in Pool B in womens hockey after the Hockeyroos suffered a 2-1 loss to the USA following their opening defeat against Great Britain. 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