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MORZINE, France -- After two crashes, a bloodied knee and even a run up legendary Mont Ventoux, a relieved Chris Froome can cruise into Paris on Sunday and secure his third Tour de France title in four years.Froome kept his lead intact during the final day of climbing -- and descending -- in the Alps on Saturday and heads to the mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees with a comfortable advantage of 4 minutes, 5 seconds over Romain Bardet of France.It feels like its been a roller coaster, Froome said. Its just been an amazing race where Ive really taken on the race.The highlights for Froome were a daring downhill attack and stage victory in the eighth leg and getting into a late breakaway amid strong crosswinds in Stage 11.You just cant script moments like that, Froome said. Its bike racing at its best. ... I really felt like a kid again.Froome was also slowed by a motor bike crash on Ventoux, prompting him to run up the road when he saw that his bike was damaged. He then fell hard on a slippery descent in Stage 19 on Friday.Wearing bandages on his right knee and elbow for Saturdays stage, Froome was never in trouble as his top lieutenants at Team Sky escorted him up and down each of the days four climbs.Its been a really intense race. ... It was incredible to cross the last finish line with my teammates, Froome said. They were with me for the entire Tour.On the final descent, which had a vertical drop of more than 700 meters (2,300 feet), Froome was extremely careful but none of his main rivals attacked.Froome, the Kenyan-born British rider who won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, then eased up just before the line and lost a few seconds to his main rivals. He let out a thin smile when he reached the finish as his Sky teammates cheered him on.There was no surprise because Chris Froome won. But for me it was not the same as in previous years, Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. When he attacked in the Peyrsourde descent it was such a surprise. And he did it again when he went with (Peter) Sagan in Montpellier. I liked it very much. Chris Froome was very good, his opponents less good.Froome is set to become the first rider to defend the Tour title since Miguel Indurain won the last of his five straight titles in 1995. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven consecutive titles for doping.Two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia is third, 4:21 behind.I still need to get the yellow jersey to Paris tomorrow but the race is done and dusted, Froome said.Spanish rider Jon Izagirre won the rainy penultimate stage by attacking on the slippery descent from the Col de Joux Plane into Morzine.Jarlinson Pantano of Colombia finished second, 19 seconds behind Izagirre, while 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali crossed third, 42 seconds back. All three riders were part of an early breakaway.Izagirre had enough time to clap his hands together in celebration as he crossed the line and secured his first career stage win in the Tour, having also won a stage in the 2012 Giro dItalia.Izagirre was in front on the descent when Pantano made a slight error and had to put his left foot to the ground to regain control, which also slowed Nibali.Izagirre was clocked at 85 kph (53 mph) on the descent.I think my parents must have been scared watching at home, he said. I wanted to drop Nibali because I was worried about him in a sprint. ... Beating Nibali in a downhill is something that counts in a career.Until this stage, Izagirre had been a support rider for Movistar teammate Quintana, a two-time Tour runner-up who had designs on winning this Tour.We came here with the yellow dream but Froome was the strongest, Izagirre said. At the end of the day, were happy with a spot on the podium, a stage win and the teams classification victory.A minute of silence was held at the start of the stage to mourn the nine victims of Fridays shooting in Munich. Froome and the other leaders of the Tour were joined by German national champion Andre Greipel at the front of the peloton as riders removed their helmets and stood silently.Froome will likely be sipping Champagne in Sundays 113-kilometer (70-mile) leg from Chantilly to Paris, which should be decided in a mass sprint.---AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampfRoberto Firmino Youth Jersey . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Cheap Liverpool Shirts 18/19 . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. http://www.liverpoolstoreuk.com/roberto-firmino-youth-jersey.html . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Cheap Liverpool Shirts . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Cheap Authentic Jerseys From China . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres.Junior middleweight titlist Liam Smith will attempt to make the third defense of his title on Saturday when he faces Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Englands Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) will be fighting outside of his home country for the first time, which poses an additional challenge in a fight he enters as the underdog despite holding the belt.If Smith wants to retain his title, he should respect the following keys:Remain patient (and opportunistic)Smith is a boxer who fights with controlled aggression. He rarely takes risks by throwing wild combinations and instead fights like a hunter, waiting for the right moment to throw his best shots. He is patient and has developed an efficient style. He shouldnt change this style against Alvarez. Its a style suited to frustrate the Mexican at first, but Smith will need to follow up with timely counterattacks to win the fight.Rely on your strengths?Smith does not have a varied arsenal. However, he tends to use his artillery wisely. The long right hand from the outside is his primary weapon, along with a short right from close range, and he should focus on both if he wants to hurt Alvarez. Smith has good reach and often uses it to his advantage. If we consider that defense is not Canelos strong point, the British fighter can make things hard for him if he persists with the right hand.Capitalize on mistakesAlvarez will enter the ring determined to take control of the fight and will take risks as he seeks to land his bestt shots.dddddddddddd Its in these moments that the Mexican often makes defensive mistakes. He opens his torso too much to throw hooks from outside or loses his cool when he misses with an overhand. His strong chin has enabled him to survive power punches from smaller opponents. But Smith is bigger, packs a punch and if he takes advantage of those errors to land his power shots, his chances of victory will increase.Stay focusedSmith will be fighting for the first time outside of England and will be facing an opponent who will likely be backed by more than 50,000 Mexican fans. Nerves and stage fright could be another enemy for Smith to overcome. The British fighter must stay calm and focused at all times to carry out his game plan and be determined when it comes to imposing himself and controlling the pace of the fight. This could prove key in the eyes of the judges if it ends up being a close fight.Dont forget Plan B!Defensively, there is no doubt that Smiths absolute priority should be to watch out for Alvarezs power shots. The offensive side, however, will be a battle of strategies. Both fighters may opt to play it safe and take few risks. If the fight becomes a tactical struggle and goes the distance, Alvarez, as the home fighter, is more likely to get the decision. Thats why Smiths corner needs to have an additional strategy for their fighter. Plan B could be the key to success. ' ' '