导出博客文章BERN, Switzerland -- Bauke Mollema has been in this position before: Second in the Tour de France on the second and final rest day.
UCLA Bruins Jerseys College .The difference from three years ago, when Mollema faded over the final week due to illness, is experience.Now I know a little bit what to expect with all this kind of things, Mollema told a packed news conference on Tuesday. Its not only cycling. Also, my level is better than it was three years ago.While hes still largely unknown outside his native Netherlands and cycling circles, Mollema is shaping up as the top challenger to defending champion and race leader Chris Froome.Two-time Tour runner-up Nairo Quintana was supposed to be Froomes top rival but the Colombian sits fourth, behind by 2 minutes, 59 seconds.Mollema was 1:47 behind in second, with Adam Yates of Britain third, 2:45 back.Flying under the radar was fine with Mollema, a father of two from Zuidhorn in the northern part of the Netherlands, where much of the land is below sea level.There is a Dutch saying, Doe maar gewoon, dat is gek genoeg, which translates as Act normal. Thats crazy enough. It applies especially to people from the north, who are usually considered more down to earth than their southern counterparts. The saying fits perfectly with Mollema, who came late to cycling and didnt enter his first race until he was 18.I always did a lot of sports -- football, tennis, running. We were always a sports family but my family was not into cycling, Mollema explained. I rode my bike to school, 12 kilometers (7 1/2 miles) every day up and down, and thats when I started to like riding my bike.My first years as a pro it was a disadvantage, especially technically, but now its more than 10 years later so maybe Im more fresh compared to other riders.Mollema has been able to stay with Froome in the mountains, and moved up to second with an exceptional time trial in Stage 13.The race resumes on Wednesday with four grueling stages in the Alps before the mostly ceremonial finish in Paris on Sunday.I still have something to prove, Mollema said. Im happy where I am right now but in the end I will only be happy with a good result in Paris.Mollemas top support riders on the Trek-Segafredo team are Haimar Zubeldia of Spain and Frank Schleck of Luxembourg. Froome, meanwhile, has been able to rely on four or five lieutenants up the climbs with Team Sky.Froome is, of course, the big favorite. He has all the pressure, Mollema said. For them, it would be disappointing with a team like that and the budget they have if they dont win the Tour.Stage 17 on Wednesday should particularly suit Mollema, with the beyond-category uphill finish to Finhaut-Emosson.If theres opportunities I will go for it. Thats for sure. If I see any weaknesses with Froome for sure I will attack, said Mollema, who prefers uphill to downhill finishes. In the last years, he always had a bad day in the Alps or the Pyrenees, where he lost some time, so it can also happen this year.It will be a big war until the end.Mollema might have been leading at this point if Froome hadnt been allowed to keep the yellow jersey after the chaotic climb up Mont Ventoux in Stage 12.We were in disagreement with how the rules were applied but we need to turn the page and focus on whats next, Trek general manager Luca Guercilena said.Guercilena extended Mollemas contract before the Tour to keep him through 2018.We gave him total confidence, Guercilena said.While cycling is a passion across the Netherlands, only two Dutchmen have won the Tour: Jan Janssen in 1968 and Joop Zoetemelk in 1980.Yet, Mollema is part of a generation of outstanding Dutch cylists.Countryman Tom Dumoulin won two stages in this Tour, and is also considered a future overall contender, as is Steven Kruijswijk, who finished fourth in this years Giro dItalia after losing the lead two stages from the end. Robert Gesink has finished in the top 10 of several major races, and Wilco Kelderman is another rising star.This is the results of a school, a methodology that is in Holland for some years, said Guercilena, who is Italian. They let them ride more easy and relaxed when they are young. ... In some other countries, Italy included, very often theres so much pressure and so much attention on the junior and the under-23 levels that it makes them explode when they turn pro.Mollema has finished in the top 10 on the Tour in each of the past three years.Now he wants to see if he can take the next step.---Associated Press writer Peter Dejong contributed to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter:
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http://www.uclabruinsjerseys.us/ucla-bruins-lonzo-ball-jersey/ . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will be held in North America, it was announced on Sunday.The Rugby League International Federation has endorsed the recommendation of its own board to take the 17th World Cup outside rugby leagues traditional heartland for the first time.The RLIF directors suggested the U.S. and Canada host the 2025 tournament after overlooking them for the 2021 World Cup in favour of England.RLIF chairman Nigel Wood, who is also chief executive of the Rugby Football League, said: The award of the 2025 World Cup to North America is a historic moment in the global development of rugby league.The U.S. and Canada provides world class stadia allied to a significant multi-cultural population which made the bid so persuasive.It is exciting that our sport is expanding into a new destination for our premier event the World Cup and we will work with our members in the U.S. and Canada and Moore Sports International to expand the presence of our sport in these countries during the lead in to the 2025 World Cup.
UCLA Bruins Bill Walton Jersey. The board will now work with Moore Sports International to complete the due diligence and exchange of contracts to complete the award.The decision was made at the RLIF annual meeting in Liverpool, where Wood and Australias John Grant were re-elected as chairman and deputy chairman respectively for the next two years.The next step of the Federation is to complete the international calendar from 2018 onwards, with a crucial decision to be made on the future of the Four Nations Series.RLIF chief executive David Collier said: The decisions arising from our meetings in Liverpool have given fresh impetus to the global expansion of the sport and we look forward to an exciting year in 2017 with the World Cup less than a year away and tickets now on sale for the matches in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
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