BELFAST, Northern Ireland - Canadian Svein Tuft powered Orica Green-Edge to victory in the team time trial in Belfast in the opening stage of the Giro dItalia on Friday, taking the overall leaders pink jersey on his 37th birthday. Nike Roshe Run Mens Sale . Orica, which was the overwhelming stage favourite, clocked a time of 24 minutes, 42 seconds along the 21.7-kilometre course, which was lined by more than 140,000 fans. The Australian team benefited from starting second and avoiding most of the rain that fell later. "What an amazing day, I never in my life would have imagined something like this," said Tuft, a native of Langley, B.C. "Im so proud of my team and I just cant thank them enough for that. They gave me the gift, it was really a birthday present. This team is really selfless that way. I feel really fortunate to be given that gift on my birthday." Omega Pharma-QuickStep finished second, five seconds behind Orica, beating third-place BMC by just two seconds. Cadel Evans looked strong for BMC and is one of the favourites after last years third-place finish. With defending champion Vincenzo Nibali not competing, Tour de France runner-up Nairo Quintana is another of the race favourites and his Movistar team finished eighth, 55 seconds behind Orica. One of his rivals, Joaquim Rodriguez, had a poor start as his Katusha team struggled throughout and only finished 19th. Rodriguez is 1 minute, 33 seconds behind Tuft and 38 seconds behind Quintana. While it has become a tradition for the first Giro stage to be held outside Italy, this is the first time that the Grande Partenza — or the Big Start — took place outside mainland Europe. Despite the wind and rain, it was a festive atmosphere in the Northern Irish city, with large crowds lining the route and cheering the riders on. However, Irish rider Dan Martin crashed after just 15 minutes, leaving him with a suspected broken collarbone. Martin caused the crash when he caught his wheel on a drain cover and went down strongly on his right arm, bringing down several of his Garmin-Sharp teammates. The four cyclists who were able to continue had to wait for teammate Fabian Wegmann — who had been dropped early on — to catch up with them, as rules stipulate a team has to finish with at least five riders for its time to count. Garmin eventually finished last, 3:26 behind Orica. That means Ryder Hesjedals chances of repeating his 2012 Giro success are all but over. "Obviously there was a crash, and there was only four of us that stayed ahead," said Victoria native Hesjedal. "It was right before a corner and you hear something had happened, we were already through the corner, looked back and there was nobody there. "Obviously it was pretty scary because you dont know what the hell is going on. I dont know what happened, it was basically a nightmare." Belfast is also the start and finish point for Saturdays 218-kilometre leg, which takes in picturesque rock formation, the Giants Causeway along its coastal route. The Giro ends in Trieste on June 1. Nike Air Max 95 Sale Uk . For Kyle Lowry, its become an accepted reality. He will be traded. The question is, when and where? The Raptors point guard is widely believed to be next on general manager Masai Ujiris chopping block after the first domino - Rudy Gay, Lowrys best friend - fell last week. Nike Roshe Run Mens Cheap . Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood launched himself down the touchline pumping his fists after Gylfi Sigurdsson completed a fight back from 2-0 down at home to Southampton to win 3-2. The victory kept Tottenham in touch with the Champions League places, with the London club six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.ST. LOUIS -- David Ross never expected to be on a World Series podium. That seat is for stars, not for grey-bearded baseball journeyman, not for backup catchers knocked onto the disabled list for much of the summer by foul tips. "The trip Ive taken this year, I never thought Id be here, There were times I was questioning whether my career was over," he said Monday night with a smile that brightened the interview room. "Im playing in the World Series, so just this whole skit is just -- Im up here talking to you guys, this is pretty cool, right?" The very definition of a bench player -- a backup catcher who has never gotten more than 311 at-bats in a season -- Ross got the biggest hit of the year thus far for the Boston Red Sox, nearly completing his long-and-winding trek to a World Series title. Ross pulled a hanging curveball down the left-field line that landed just a few inches fair in the seventh inning, driving in the go-ahead run and boosting the Red Sox over the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 for a 3-2 World Series lead. Now 36, Rosss sandy-colored beard makes him look more aging rocker than dashing athlete. A veteran of six major league organizations, he signed last November for his second tour with the Red Sox, his team for part of 2008. His season began to come apart on May 11, when he took a pair of foul tips off his mask against Toronto. He went on the DL for two weeks and went into a 3-for-22 slide when he returned. Then he got whacked in the mask by another foul at Baltimore on June 14. "I got home and my wife said, Youre not right," he recalled. "And they did some tests and kind of concluded I wasnt right. Then I tried to come back fast, not giving enough credit to really what a concussion is. As athletes we feel like we can get through anything, and I couldnt. I stunk for a good two weeks, three weeks, and my wife finally was like, If you dont tell the doctors, Im going to." The Red Sox sent him to Pittsburgh to be examined on June 20 by Dr. Mickey Collins, a concussion specialist. Ross didnt play for Boston again until Aug. 20. "We try to do mind over matter sometimes, and the hardest part when youre going through something like that is just you dont have a cast on or you didnt have surgery," Ross said. "I looked fine, but I wasnt right. Its hard to look your teammates in the eye when youre going through something like that and see if youre bowing out or not, with the questions that they have. Because I used to do the same thing. Concussion, just push through it. Youre not tough enough or something like that.&qquot; But now he knew what it was like. Nike Roshe Run Mens Sale Uk. "Headaches and dizziness and all the symptoms, couldnt ride in a car, couldnt be in crowded places," he said, "but did all the exercises Mickey put me through and slowly came back. And thank goodness my hitting has come around, because I stunk there for a while." With Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a 6-for-32 (.188) post-season slump, Ross got the opportunity of his 12-year major league career. Hes caught Jon Lesters last four post-season starts, impressing Red Sox manager John Farrell with their rapport. "Were all excited for him, and were glad hes doing it and hope he keeps on doing it," first baseman Mike Napoli said. Lester credited Ross for his dazzling performance. "Did a good job of keeping me calm, keeping me in the game," he said. Ross was 1 for 9 in the Series before his fifth-inning single. He stepped to the plate in the seventh against Adam Wainwright following a single by rookie Xander Bogaerts and a walk by Stephen Drew, took a called strike, watched a ball and then fouled off a pitch. When Wainwright left a 79-mph hanger up, Ross pounced. If the ball hadnt bounced into the stands, Drew would have scored, too, but he came around on Jacoby Ellsburys single as Ross was thrown out at the plate by centre fielder Shane Robinson. Ross had never seen himself as a Series star. "Im kind of more of a keep-my-head-down-and-work-hard kind of guy," he said, "Im not the type of player who can plan out all these goals. Thats probably why it hadnt sunk in yet of what all this is, because Im worried about Game 6 already. Theres a pit in my stomach already." After it was over, already showered and dressed for the flight home, he was given a televised postgame news conference. He called it "the signature moment" of his career. "Im just in awe of being in the World Series, really," he said, turning around to look at the MLB logos on the backdrop behind him, as if he wasnt quite sure they were real. "Thats when you see people on TV," he said excitedly. "Im stoked!" Ross has answered questions for 14 minutes, yet he still didnt want to leave the room. "Jon Lester is waiting to come in," announced Phyllis Merhige, an MLB senior vice-president. "You can stay as long as you like." "Can I sit up here while hes up here?" Ross asked. And so he did, sitting alongside Lester and David Ortiz, savoring the night of his career just a little bit longer. cheap jerseyscheap jerseys from china ' ' '
