ou all accept my apology.Port have offered the woman cult

MEGèVE, France -- Chris Froome is closing in on his third Tour de France title but legendary rider Eddy Merckx believes the Briton already looks good for a fourth next year.The 103rd Tour is still three days from finishing in Paris, with Froome winning Thursdays stage 18 time trial to extend his overall lead to 3 minutes, 52 seconds.Chris Froome is a very great champion, said five-time Tour winner Merckx. I think he can win more [Tours]. If you look at the guys who are behind him, I dont know who can beat him in the next years.Hes complete, hes a good time trialist, hes good at ascents, hes overall. Hes the best of the moment. [Even] his teammates are as strong as his rivals.The Belgian added: He [Froome] deserves his win. Hes the strongest. I cant see what could prevent him from keeping this yellow jersey until Paris. His opponents just stay on his teammates wheels. Barring an incident, nobody can beat him in this Tour.If you win the time trial with the yellow jersey its great, its better than another stage. Froome is a great champion. He is complete. When you are the best you have to win.Froome took the yellow leaders jersey by winning Stage 8 with his lightening descent of the Col de Peyresourde near the finish.Its a huge compliment coming from Eddy, said Froome. We feel we are in a bit of a bubble at the race but to have someone like that give a compliment in that way is a huge honour.The Team Sky rider completed the 17km mountain route from Sallanches to Megeve in 30 minutes, 43.23 seconds at an average speed of 33.297kmh.In second place Thursday was Dutch time trial champion Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), 21 seconds back from Froome, followed by Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) and Australian Richie Porte (BMC), both 33 seconds back.Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r-LA Mondiale) finished fifth, 42 seconds after Froome; Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar), who was 10th, was 70 seconds back; Britons Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) was 1 minute, 23 seconds off the pace in 16th; Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), was in 17th a further two seconds back; and Irishman Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) one second after in 18th.I have a great advantage right now with two days [in the Alps] left, added 2013 and 2015 champion Froome. The next two days will be really tough. Main thing for me now is to stay safe and stay out of trouble.Sundays 21st and final stage from Chantilly to the Champs élysées in Paris is suited for the sprinters and should have no bearing on the overall classification -- barring any disaster.But a tight battle is set to unravel for second and third places during the next two stages, with the Alps offering opportunities for riders to attack.Heading into Fridays 19th stage, 146km from Albertville to Saint Gervais Mont Blanc, 68 seconds separates second-placed Mollema to sixth, with Yates 4 minutes, 16 seconds off Froome. Quintana is 4 minutes, 37 seconds off the lead and Bardet 4 minutes, 57 seconds behind, while Porte trails by five minutes.Froome tipped his former Sky teammate and close friend Porte -- who lost 1 minute, 45 seconds on stage two due a flat tyre in the last five kilometres -- to finish best of the rest.I have to go off what I know and what I have seen, Froome said. Richie Porte did a very strong time trial today and yesterday [on stage 17] he was the only one to really take the race on and make a really strong race on the front.Richie looks the one with the most to gain these next couple of stages. Obviously, he had some bad luck early in the race. Its a shame he lost that time earlier, but I believe if he continues the way he is he will see himself on the podium in Paris.Porte was awarded the Prix de Bernard Hinault for the fastest time up the 6.5km C?te Domancy to the 10.5km mark, reaching it nine seconds faster than Dumoulin, but then lost time before the finish.It was such a hard time trial, said the Australian. I dont think I got everything I had out. I am a little disappointed. [But] I really want that podium. I am prepared to fight.Yates, who stills wears the white jersey as best young rider, also feels Porte is the rider to watch. He said: [Porte is] the main guy because every day he is looking stronger. If he didnt have the problems at the beginning of the race he would already be on the podium.Like Porte, Yates dropped off the pace in the second half of Thursdays time trial. He explained: I felt pretty good first checkpoint [at 10.5km] then faded towards the end. It is expected in the third week of the Tour de France and only my second attempt. Will Barton Jersey . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Tyler Lydon Nuggets Jersey . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. http://www.authenticnuggetsproshop.com/Dikembe-Mutombo-Jersey/ . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Nikola Jokic Jersey .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Jarred Vanderbilt Nuggets 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. DALLAS -- Connor McDavid, among the leagues most electrifying young stars, got his first career hat trick behind a few fortunate breaks Saturday night.McDavid scored once off a defenders stick and put back two other juicy rebounds, and his three goals helped the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 to end a five-game skid.McDavid, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, ended a 10-game stretch without a goal.On the first, Dallas defenseman John Klingberg knocked the puck into his own net with his stick. The second came on a rebound from short range with goalie Kari Lehtonen out of the play, and the third was on a rebound with a wide-open net.Three pretty lucky goals, the 19-year-old McDavid said. Its a funny league that way. You get grade-A chances and theyre not going in, then you start putting it there and they are going in. Its weird that way. Definitely happy to get off that slump.McDavid is now tied for the NHL scoring lead at 22 points with Winnipegs Mark Scheifele and Tampa Bays Nikita Kucherov. Dallas coach Lindy Ruff didnt like having him break out against his team.The shot that went in got him going early, Ruff said. Thats not the type of guy that you want to get going.Tyler Pitlick got his sixth goal of the season for Edmonton, and Oscar Klefbom also scored. Cam Talbot made 31 saves.The Oilers led 4-0 early in the second period when Ruff swapped out Lehtonen for Antti Niemi.Patrick Eaves and Jamie Benn scored for Dallas during a 4-minute power play late in the second. Eaves scored in his fifth straight game, the longest streak of his 12-year career.McDavid, named the NHLs youngest ever captain prior to this season, has eight goals after getting one in each period of this one.dddddddddddd Its his second multigoal game this season and fifth in 64 career games.He finished the hat trick midway through the third period by scooping up a rebound in the left circle and flicking it past a sprawled Niemi.Anton Slepyshev and Jesse Puljujarvi each had two assists for Edmonton.Pitlick scored with 8:24 left in the first on a 2-on-1 break, connecting off a pass from Drake Caggiula, who played his first NHL game. Another assist went to Matt Hendricks, playing for the first time since getting a lower-body injury in the preseason.Edmonton got goals 56 seconds apart in the second to make it 4-0. Klefboms drive from the left point went in off defenseman Patrick Nemeths skate at 5:21, and McDavid found himself alone with the puck to the right of the net at 6:17.Eaves scored unassisted with 4:23 left when his wrist shot went in off a goalpost. About a minute later, Benn tipped in Klingbergs drive from the top of the slot.Lehtonen made nine saves, and Niemi had 15.Game notes Dallas LW Patrick Sharp returned after missing 14 games because of concussion-like symptoms. ... Edmonton RW Zack Kassian, who drew the double minor in the second period, was playing in his 250th game. ... Benn has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his last nine games against the Oilers. Jason Spezza, who assisted on Benns goal, has 22 points (seven goals, fifteen assists) in 20 career games vs. Edmonton.UP NEXTOilers: Return home to play Chicago on Monday night.Stars: Host Minnesota on Monday night to end a four-game homestand. ' ' '