Dein erstes Forum » will miss a major chunk of Wasps season.Tha

SAINTE-MARIE-DU-MONT, France -- With his biological clock ticking, Alberto Contador had made the Tour de France his main goal of the season.But his quest for a third Tour title immediately suffered a serious blow on Saturday when the Spaniard crashed during the opening stage of the three-week race.The 33-year-old Contador hit a traffic curb while coming around a right turn with about 80 kilometers (50 miles) left in the first stage between Mont-Saint-Michel and Utah Beach in Normandy. The stage was won by Mark Cavendish following a sprint marred by a crash.This was not the best way to start. In theory it was a quiet day, Contador said. Im bruised all down along my right side from my ankle up but at least I dont have to go home. Hopefully I can get through the coming days and recover before the mountains. There are some positions where my shoulder gives me some doubts but I want to be optimistic and recover.Contador, who won cyclings showpiece race in 2007 and 2009, skipped the Giro this year to focus on the Tour. He won the Italian race last year but his efforts took a toll on the seven-time Grand Tour winner and he struggled in the heat of the French summer.After the crash, Contador got back on his bike with a ripped jersey and scrapes on his right shoulder. He later changed his bike and quickly made it to the back of the peloton with the help of his teammates.I came into the corner, there was a traffic island and my front wheel hit it and then I fell back on the curb, he said.Contador then had to replace one of his shoes and dropped back to the race doctors car to have his shoulder bandaged. He was awarded the same time as his main rivals after an ugly crash in the final stretch split the peloton.He has some abrasion on his right shoulder, elbow, and groin, race doctor Paul-Henri Jost said, adding that Contador took a small dose of painkillers. At first glance, this is no big deal.Contador, who was stripped of the 2010 Tour title and was suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned steroid clenbuterol in the final week of the race that year, was among the three main favorites alongside defending champion Chris Froome and Colombian climber Nairo Quintana.Tinkoff sports director Steven de Jongh gave reassuring news regarding his team leaders condition but it remains to be seen how he will recover in the coming days.The first signs are good, he said he was fine, De Jongh said. When you crash you get back on bike and dont feel pain, but then after the stage you might be in trouble. But hopefully hell be fine.Team Skys Luke Rowe was among those who went down with Contador and he was also able to return to the race, joining the pack with bottles for his teammates.The first week of the Tour is usually nervous and marred with crashes. In 2011, Contador crashed four times in the opening nine stages, damaging one of his knees.Vapormax Outlet . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Air Force 1 Cheap Wholesale . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . http://www.outletsneakersclearance.com/fake-air-force-1.html .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Air Max Plus Clearance .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. 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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.England lock Joe Launchbury has been appointed Wasps captain for the 2016-17 season.The 35-times capped Launchbury replaces international team-mate James Haskell -- who will miss most of the season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his big toe -- and prop Matt Mullan who were co-captains last season.Launchbury joined Wasps from Worthing as a 19-year-old in 2009 and is closing in on 100 appearances for the Aviva Premiership club.Joe is a natural leader around the place and I think he has grown with the responsibility of being a leader and an international over the last couple of seasons, Wasps director of rugby Dai Young told the official club website.He has already proven himself as a world-class player and Im sure the captaincy will only help him grow again.Unfortunately, James picked up a nasty injury while playing for England which means he will miss a major chunk of Wasps season.That in iitself makes it difficult to do the job of captain, but we also want him to be a little bit selfish and focus on himself so he can concentrate all his energy on getting back to full fitness as soon as possible.ddddddddddddMatt has been around the captaincy role for almost three years now and while it is a big honour, people dont see all the extra work that goes in behind the scenes and the off-field commitments that go with the captaincy role.From my point of view, I feel three years is probably the right amount of time before then passing the baton on and have someone else step up.Launchbury, 25, said: Its a massive honour to have been named captain and something I am very excited about.We have a squad packed full of talent so its now important we hit the season running. 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