The Tour de France starts Saturday in Normandy, with the first stage running from Mont Saint-Michel to Utah Beach. Donnie Shell Jersey . The opening stage will most likely be fought out by the sprinters, but the big prize is the yellow jersey -- maillot jaune -- for the overall winner when the race ends in Paris on July 24.Here are the Top 10 contenders to win the 103rd Tour.Chris FroomeNationality: British Team: Team Sky (U.K.) Date of birth: May 20, 1985 (31) Race number: 1 Best Tour results: 1st: 2013, 2015; 2nd: 2012Strength: As a two-time champion, Froome knows how to win and has learned from past experience. He has terrific power-to-weight ratio for climbing and is also strong in time trials, especially on the routes set out for the two races against the clock in this years Tour. Has an exceptionally strong team -- he says possibly the strongest Sky have ever picked for a Tour.Weakness: Has had a tendency to fall ill in the last week of races. That is not uncommon for any Tour rider, but for one leading, it is a tenuous and potentially race-costing situation. Froome has been able to mask illness, but his rivals will now be looking closer for signs they may have otherwise missed -- especially Nairo Quintana, who left his run too late last year.Nairo QuintanaNationality: Colombian Team: Movistar (Spain) Date of birth: February 4, 1990 (26) Race number: 11 Best Tour results: 2nd: 2013, 2015Strength: A pure climber whose danger for Froome was shown on last years last mountain stage to Alpe dHuez, where he beat the Briton by 1 minute, 20 seconds. Crucially, he is now a far better time trialist, too. A tough-as-teak leader whose team is one of the strongest and totally devoted to him.Weakness: Potential inattentiveness or weak spots. This arguably cost him the Tour last year. He lost 1 minute, 28 seconds to Froome on Stage 2 (which was more than the 1:12 margin by which he lost the Tour) and another 1:04 on Stage 10 in the Pyrenees. He said he has since trained to avert a repeat.Alberto ContadorNationality: Spanish Team: Tinkoff (Russia) Date of birth: December 6, 1982 (33) Race number: 31 Best Tour results: 1st: 2007, 2009; 4th: 2013; 5th: 2015, 2011Strength: Contador is one of the most credentialed grand tour riders with seven wins in three-week races, including two Tours, so he knows what it takes. He is also one of the most aggressive riders in the sport, unafraid to attack over and over in a bid to crack his rivals. His sheer hunger to win and endure pain is relentless, even when his back is against the wall.Weakness: He denies age is catching up with him, but signs are that younger riders are still coming up, which will make life tougher. He may love to attack, but does he have the knockout punch in him? His team is also not of the calibre of Sky or Movistar, so he may find himself outnumbered in the Pyrenees and Alps. Also, he comes into the Tour off a cold.Richie PorteNationality: Australian Team: BMC Racing Team (U.S.) Date of birth: January 30, 1985 (31) Race number: 91 Best Tour results: 19th: 2013; 23rd: 2014Strength: Facing his first opportunity to ride as an overall contender -- as BMC co-leader with American Tejay van Garderen. A strong climber and time trialist. Fresher and fitter than ever from slow boil to his July peak. Inside knowledge of former teammate Froome. Strong team, with four in BMCs lineup who helped Australian Cadel Evans win the 2011 Tour.Weakness: Lack of experience as a Tour team leader, and vulnerability to suffer a bad day through illness or even mishap that can see him lose too much time to remain in contention. As BMCs two-pronged attack with van Garderen may be a strength, it could be costly if the two riders dont have clarity over priorities by the third week. Team Skys inside knowledge of Porte could work against him, too.Fabio AruNationality: Italian Team: Astana (Kazakhstan) Date of birth: July 3, 1990 (25) Astana Race number: 21 Best Tour results: Tour debutStrength: Super climber, inspired by his Tour debut. Showed what he can do in last years Giro dItalia, winning two mountain stages to finish second overall, and the Vuelta a Espana, which he won. Maybe not the best of time trialists, but he can hold his own on his day. In Vincenzo Nibali, he also has an excellent teammate to tap into for support work and advice.Weakness: Lack of experience at the Tour, from the sheer madness of the race and all that is around it to the pressure that comes with expectations. Vulnerable in time trialling, and the danger of Nibali finding himself better placed despite saying he is racing to help Aru after winning this years Giro.Tejay van GarderenNationality: American Team: BMC Racing Team (U.S.) Date of birth: August 12, 1988 (27) Race number: 99 Best Tour results: 5th: 2014, 2012 (1st in young rider classification in 2012)Strength: Not generally an attacking rider, but still a great climber who can follow the pace up front on mountains well and limit losses when the attacks begin. Also knows what its like in the top overall classification with two fifth-place finishes. With Porte as co-leader, the pressure will not always be on him. Like Porte, has a strong, experienced team to help.Weakness: While he can defend under attack, he lacks winning kick to go when racing for overall classification (his mountain stage win in the Tour de Suisse with a solo move on the last climb to finish came after he fell out of overall contention). As with Porte, for all the positives of their co-leadership, it could still be problematic if there is not clarity come the third week.Thibaut PinotNationality: French Team: FDJ (France) Date of birth: May 29, 1990 (26) Race number: 121 Best Tour results: 3rd: 2014; 10th: 2012; 16th: 2015Strength: Has developed into a climber who is able not only to follow the best, but to beat them. That reflects his growing strength as well as his confidence as an overall contender. As with a previous weakness of descending, he has improved his time trialling, with time trial wins in this years Criterium International and Tour de Romandie.Weakness:?Has to deal with the pressure that any cyclist touted as potentially the first French winner since Bernard Hinault in 1985 faces. His team has for the first time selected a team devoted to him, but has it the experience let alone ability to provide the support he will need to maximize his chances?Vincenzo NibaliNationality: Italian Team: Astana (Kazakhstan) Date of birth: November 14, 1984 (31) Race number: 22 Best Tour results: 1st: 2014; 3rd: 2012; 4th: 2015; 7th: 2009Strength: Nibalis ability as a grand tour racer is beyond reproach. He is one of best climbers and descenders and is also excellent on the flatter and hillier courses. His desire to attack is akin to Contadors. Will be buoyed by winning the Giro dItalia. Also, he will also have no pressure on him to win, as his role is to help Aru. But if Aru fails, he has nothing to lose.Weakness: His freshness after racing so hard in the Giro that finished on May 29. It is now generally thought that the Giro-Tour double is not possible. His support role aside, if Aru falls short and he becomes Plan B, will he have the strength to pull it off? Relative to his strengths, time trialling is one area he is less credentialed in.Romain BardetNationality: French Team: Ag2r (France) Date of birth: Nov. 9, 1990 (25) Best Tour results: 6th: 2014; 9th: 2015; 15th: 2013 Race number: 41Strength: Excellent climber who, like Bardet, has fed off the growing confidence gained from his development as a Tour racer since his sixth-place finish in 2014 when his teammate Jean-Christophe Peraud placed second. Other pluses are his race intelligence and knowing he can overcome adversity, as he did last year from a problematic start to win the 18th stage.Weakness: Time trialling is his Achilles heel against the ilk of his Tour rivals. That is not to mean he cant limit his losses or that he is downplaying the importance of time trialling. But what he does lose in the discipline is costly for any rider that wants to make the podium or win. Not a fan of flat stages, and also reportedly does not back up from rest days so well.Dan MartinNationality: Irish Team: Etixx-QuickStep (Belgium) Date of birth: August 20, 1986 (29) Best Tour results: 33rd: 2013; 35th: 2012; 39th: 2015 Race number: 185Strength: A rider with super climbing ability, attacking instinct and a huge engine. Can read a race well, especially toward the pointy end of a race. He is becoming well experienced as as a grand tour rider, of which this Tour will mark his 10th start in one of cyclings three three-week races.Weakness: Time trialling is an area he must work on with a view to the future. However, his deficiencies here will be limited by the two time trials courses this year suiting him. Has had his fair share of crashes and health setbacks. He can ill afford them over a race as long and intense as the Tour. Ross Cockrell Steelers Jersey . 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. Joe Gilliam Jersey . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. http://www.shoptheofficialsteelers.us/steelers-lawrence-timmons-super-bowl-jersey-authentic/ . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw left with a lead in the seventh inning and the bases loaded. After the bullpen faltered, veterans Chase Utley and Andre Ethier rescued the Dodgers.Utley singled home the tiebreaking run with two outs in the eighth, and Los Angeles avoided elimination Tuesday with a 6-5 victory over the Washington Nationals that forced a deciding Game 5 in their NL playoff.Kenley Jansen worked the ninth for a save, one day after giving up four late runs during Los Angeles loss in Game 3.I got out there and focused and fought, he said.Game 5 is Thursday in Washington, with 20-game winner Max Scherzer set to pitch for the Nationals.Man, this is going to be a heck of a ballgame, Scherzer said. The effort from both sides over the first four games has been incredible. Great pitching, great hitting, defense, everything.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he will use left-hander Rich Hill and rookie Julio Urias, but did not announce which one will start.If anyone gives up on this team, they havent seen us play a whole lot this year, Roberts said, and it starts with what Clayton did -- short rest and leaving it all out there. Everyone fed off that.After failing to close out the Dodgers on the road, Washington will get one more chance Thursday to win a playoff series for the first time since the franchise relocated from Montreal. NL East champions in three of the past five years, the Nationals were unable to advance during their two previous trips to the postseason.Thats why we fought so hard for the home-field advantage, manager Dusty Baker said. This year, its coming to fruition.Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, who turned to Kershaw on three days rest to salvage their season.The score was tied 5-all with two outs in the eighth when Andrew Toles got hit by a pitch from loser Blake Treinen. Ethier followed with a single to left and Utley singled to right, scoring Toles from second for a 6-5 lead.Trailing 5-2 in the seventh, the Nats had runners on first and second against Kershaw with two outs. The crowd chanted Kershaws name as he and Bryce Harper battled through eight pitches before Harper drew a walk.Man, thats what baseball is all about right there: a matter of will, Baker said. Kershaw was on empty. We knew it. They knew it. Everybody knew it.Harpers walk loaded the bases and chased Kershaw, who walked off with his head down. He sat alone in the dugout with his head resting on his right hand.Kershaw was outstanding, Baker said. Thats one of the best performances Ive seen, especially on three days rest.But the Dodgers bullpen nearly gave the game away.Pedro Baez came in and hit Jayson Werth with his only pitch, forcing in a run to make it 5-3. Baez got booed off the field.Daniel Murphys single off Luis Avilan dropped between Toles and Joc Pederson in left-center field, scoring two runs to tie it at 5. Avilan also heard boos.Joe Blanton, who earned the win, retired Anthony Rendon on a swinging strikeout to end the inning.Our bullpen has been uunbelievable, Kershaw said. Sean Davis Steelers Jersey. Joe did what Joes been doing all season. Hes been through a lot in his career but he came in and shut them down.Desperate to avoid another early playoff exit, the Dodgers went with Kershaw, their three-time Cy Young Award winner who won Game 1 last Friday despite going just five innings and allowing three runs.This time, he was charged with five runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out 11 -- equaling his second-best postseason total -- and walked two.The left-hander was limited to 149 innings while compiling a 1.69 ERA during the regular season. He missed 2 1/2 months with a mildly herniated disk in his back.Kershaw opened the game by giving up a leadoff single and a walk before Murphys RBI single.The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on Gonzalezs two-run shot that scored Justin Turner, who was hit by a pitch from Joe Ross.Werths RBI single tied it 2-all in the third.Los Angeles again answered in the bottom of the inning, with Kershaw getting the rally going with a double to left field. He slid into second and clenched his fists in a rare show of emotion.Kershaw scored on Turners single with two outs. Pederson got hit by a pitch from Ross with the bases loaded, forcing in TurnerRoss made his postseason debut for the Nationals, giving up four runs and three hits in 2 2/3 innings, equaling the shortest playoff start in the history of the Montreal-Washington franchise. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked two. He hasnt pitched more than four innings since coming off the disabled list on Sept. 18.LOOK OUT!Five players were hit by pitches, including four Dodgers, which set a single-game franchise playoff record. Of the quartet, two ended up scoring. Werth was the lone Nationals player to get hit.There have been 11 hit batters in the series, a postseason record.No one on either side is trying to hit anybody with everything on the line right now, Scherzer said. Thats just baseball being played at its highest.TRAINERS ROOMNationals RHP Stephen Strasburg experienced discomfort in his right elbow during a bullpen session Monday at Dodger Stadium. He threw 30 or 31 pitches instead of the scheduled 35. Strasburg has been out since tearing the pronator tendon in his elbow on Sept. 7.Baker said Strasburg was throwing the ball very good and hes not concerned about the pitchers progress. Strasburg has said he would try to return this season if the Nationals advance to the NLCS.SHORT RESTKershaw started a game on three days rest for the fourth consecutive postseason.CANT CLOSE `EM OUTBaker has lost eight consecutive postseason games when his team would have advanced with a victory. Thats the longest such streak in major league history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.ELIMINATION GAMESThe Dodgers improved to 12-15 in postseason elimination games since moving to Los Angeles. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '