Subject :VAL DI FIEMME, Italy -- Canadian Alex Harvey finished fifth Saturday in the Tour de Ski and then pul
VAL DI FIEMME, Italy -- Canadian Alex Harvey finished fifth Saturday in the Tour de Ski and then pulled out of the seven-race event before the gruelling final stage. Wholesale Nike Free UK . Harvey decided he would not start Sundays nine-kilometre pursuit race because the punishing climb up Alpe de Cermis could have a negative effect on an artery in his leg. The motion of lifting the leg up the steep alpine ski hill can force his hip flexor to bulge, impeding blood flow and circulation. "For me it was pretty clear before the Tour started that I wasnt going to climb that hill," said Harvey, who also pulled out of the final stage last year. "Being in the lead and the top three for the Tour opened the door to thinking about it, but there is just so much to lose for me physically when the blood flow shuts down completely when Im working so hard. "We dont know exactly how long it takes to recover, and I just dont want to risk anything especially with the Olympics coming up." It was still a very successful Tour for Harvey, who opened the event last month with a victory and later added silver and bronze. Petter Northug revved up his preparations for next months Sochi Games by winning Saturday, cutting into the overall lead of fellow Norwegian Martin Johnsrud Sundby. Northug fought through snow and rain for the win in 24 minutes 45.6 seconds over the 10-kilometre classical stage. Sundby crossed second, 9.7 seconds behind, and Chris Jespersen was third to complete a Norwegian sweep. The 25-year-old Harvey, from St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., was fifth in 25:21.1. "It was pretty messy weather today but overall my skis were good and I felt good the whole way," said Harvey. "I started aggressive and fought for the podium the whole way. I think I paced things well and attacked where I needed too which is key to an individual start." The final stage ends with a four-kilometre climb with pitches that come close to a 30 per cent grade. "With his leg condition, it takes at least one week for Alex to recover from something like that," said head coach Justin Wadsworth. "Alex knows he will not be able to fight for the top three tomorrow with his leg. So looking at what is really to gain, he made the smart decision not to race." Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., was 27th and Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., was 52nd. Entering Sundays final stage, Sundby leads Northug by 48.5 seconds. Jespersen is 1:26.8 back in third place. Norwegians are also commanding the womens race, with two-time runner-up Therese Johaug winning a 5K classical stage Saturday to cut into the lead of countrywoman Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen. Johaug had a time of 13:58.4 to finish 14.9 seconds ahead of Jacobsen, with Anne Kyllonen of Finland third, 19.2 back. In the overall, Jacobsens lead over Johaug was sliced to 23.8 seconds, with Kyllonen 1:31.5 back. Northug won the 15K classical title at last years world championships in Val di Fiemme and also took gold in the 50K at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He has also finished on the podium four times in the Tour de Ski but has never won the competition. "I am getting stronger with each competition," Northug said. "This time I am not as tired going to the final stage." Sundby has never come close to winning the Tour de Ski. "I felt quite tired after yesterdays competition," said Sundby, who won Fridays stage. "I felt better in the second lap. I have to recover well today and get ready for the final climb. It will be pure pain." Johaug was runner-up in 2011 and 2013 and finished third in 2012, while Jacobsen has never reached the podium. "I feel I am in a very good shape and I can compete with almost everybody," Jacobsen said. "I do not think much about the overall result. Its already a great achievement for me to be in the leading position before the final stage. I am happy that there is a high chance that a Norwegian lady crosses the finish on Alpe Cermis in first place." Nike Free UK 2018 For Sale . Bradley is one of eight players selected to the team who also played in this years World Cup in Brazil. The MLS all-stars will compete against German giants Bayern Munich in Portland on Aug. Cheap Nike Free Uk . Chelsea ripped apart Hull inside 25 minutes at Stamford Bridge, with the early goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard securing a 2-0 victory. While Lampard had earlier missed a penalty, Roberto Soldado had no such trouble from the spot for Tottenham, scoring on his debut to clinch a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.The San Antonio Spurs return home for Wednesdays Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series with the Dallas Mavericks tied 2-2. San Antonio knotted the series with its Texas rival on Monday night with a 93-89 road victory at American Airlines Center. The two squads head back to AT&T Center Wednesday night, a place the Mavericks won Game 2 handily and shouldve won Game 1. "In the playoffs, I dont think teams are ever too satisfied with wins, or ever too depressed with losses," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "You just dont have time for it and doesnt do you any good." In Game 3, Dallas Vince Carter hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the contest. On Monday, the Spurs put the clamps on the Mavericks late in the game. With the game tied at 87-apiece late in the fourth quarter, Boris Diaw nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 32.9 seconds left to give the Spurs the lead. Monta Ellis missed a trey for the tie at the other end, but Dirk Nowitzki corralled the offensive rebound and put it back in, cutting the deficit to one. Manu Ginobili then split a pair of free throws with 10.4 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Coming out of a timeout, Ellis drove the lane and tried banking in the layup to tie, but his attempt clanked off the rim and Tim Duncan grabbed the rebound with 1.9 seconds left. Ginobili hit a pair of free throws to seal it and send the series back to San Antonio all knotted up. Black Nike Free UK. "Boris hit a shot and we couldnt come back at the other end and hit a shot like we should," said Ellis. "I had a good look at the end but it didnt go down." Ginobili paced the Spurs with 23 points off the bench, while Diaw netted 17 points in a reserve role. Patty Mills chipped in 10 as those three accounted for 50 second-unit points. "The bench did a fine job in what weve been used to for the season," said Popovich. "It was a big help for us tonight. Holding them to 89 is a lot better than 109 and thats what has to happen." Duncan tallied 14 points with 10 rebounds and Tiago Splitter notched 10 points with 12 boards in the win. Tony Parker finished with 10, but suffered an ankle injury. "He has a Grade 1 sprain and hell be day-to-day," Popovich said of Parker. Ellis led the Mavs with 20 points despite shooting 6-of-20 from the floor. Nowitzki, who made 7-of-19 attempts from the field, finished with 19 points and Samuel Dalembert pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds in the setback. One player who Dallas coach Rick Carlisle wont have available for Wednesday night is DeJuan Blair. The big man was suspended for Game 5 by the NBA after an incident in Game 4 when he kicked Splitter in the head while the two were tangled on the floor. Game 6 will be Friday night in Dallas. 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 ' ' '
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