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LIMOGES, FRANCE -- Defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome remains wary of the threat that Spaniard Alejandro Valverde still poses, even though the seasoned grand tour rider has declared that he is racing here to help Movistar teammate Nairo Quintana, from Colombia, win the event overall.Last year, Quintana was second overall and Valverde was third after their team led a planned two-pronged approach to the race. But this year Quintana is the top seed at Movistar, especially with Valverde having already raced the Giro dItalia in which he finished third behind Italian winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), who is also at the Tour to help Italian Fabio Aru (Astana), and Colombian runner-up Esteban Chaves (Orica-BikeExchange), who is not at the Tour but preparing for the Vuelta a Espa?a later this year.Speaking after Tuesdays fourth stage of the Tour -- 237.5km from Saumur to Limoges that was won in a bunch sprint by German Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) from Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Direct-Energie) and Slovakian race leader Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) -- Froome said of Valverde: He seems to be in good [form]. I wouldnt be surprised if he is just [preparing] himself to ride GC [general classification] and have a two-pronged approach with Nairo. They definitely have the team to do it. Until he loses time, Ive got to treat him as a rival.There is much expectation that some clue of who could challenge for this Tour might be revealed in Wednesdays fifth stage, which is the first hill stage of this years 103rd edition. In the the 216km stage from Limoges to Le Lioran, the last five of six categorised climbs are in the last 80 kilometres. But in the last 40 kilometres, there are with two second category climbs -- the 5.4km Pas de Peyrol and the 4.4km Col de Perthus -- and the third category 3.3km Col de Font de Cère, after which there is a tricky descent to the finish with 2.5km to go.On Tuesday Sagan deflected questions about his chances in the stage. The world champion will start the stage with an overall lead of 12 seconds on second place Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (FDJ), 14 seconds on third place Valverde and 18 seconds on a group of 22 riders, which includes all but four of the pre-Tour favourites, including Froome, who is fifth.I think its a bit too early to see a real GC battle, but its definitely somewhere where there will be time gaps, Froome said. Its not going to be a big bunch sprint. Its going to be a more select group coming to the line. Maybe a stage for someone like Alaphilippe or Valverde, [Irishman] Dan Martin [of Etixx-QuickStep who is 13th overall] maybe.Alberto Contador: The hardest Tour start of my career.Asked about his chances of defending the yellow jersey that he claimed by winning stage two on Sunday, Sagan said: I cant tell you now. I tell you tomorrow after the stage. But without a doubt he will do as he said he will, which is to try to hold on to the lead.The Slovakian was more candid about his Spanish teammate Alberto Contador, who began this Tour as one of the major overall contenders, but crashed in both stages one and two. Those crashes put Contador on the back foot. He is 54th overall at 1 minute, 6 seconds behind.How the race unfolds might reveal how much Contador has recovered from his crashes. But Sagan said: He is a very tough guy and has recovered well. I am sure he will be there.Contador, who has hurt his left and right sides in his fall and a calf muscle, said: Its hard for me to pedal sitting out of the saddle, but thats a question of time. I got through today without crashing, and thats the most important thing. Tomorrow is a hard day. I have to get ready mentally to take it on. This has been the hardest Tour start of my career.However, a yellow jersey change is likely, according to Jim Ochowicz, president of the American BMC Racing team, which has overall contenders in American Tejay van Garderen (15th overall at 18 seconds) and Australian Richie Porte (71st at 2 minutes, 3 seconds). Portes early time loss was due to a rear tyre puncture inside the last five kilometres of stage two.Asked if he foresees a leadership switch, Ochowicz told ESPN: Yes. I am not going to predict who, but there are some close contenders in terms of time. Alaphilippe has got the advantage right now being in second. He has probably got the upper hand.Ochowicz believes the stage could see two races: one for the stage win between a break of non-Tour contenders of riders who can climb; and a second between the overall favourites.You are going to see a lot more action than you have seen probably in any stage up till this moment -- probably a break right from the gun that could be more of a break that could make it to the finish, Ochowicz said.Ochowicz expects the Tour contenders to mark each other to see whats left in their legs, he said. Its the first time they are going to go up some real categorized climbs, and in doing so, they are going to push each other to a certain point where someone might have some potential weakness and others will take advantage of that.Ochowicz said there is still no change of leadership at BMC with Portes early demise. We stay focused on two leaders, and they will sort things out [on stage five] a little bit in the race. But I think they will both be probably coming in the group together, he said.Van Garderen said in a team statement that he is looking forward to racing in terrain better suited to him: Im really excited to head to the hills and get the GC sorted out a bit more. Well get a sense of whos going well and whos not. Richie and I did the recon [of the stage] together and its a tricky stage. Its not going to be as hard as the Pyrenees, but it will shake things up. Youre not going to see Sagan and [Mark] Cavendish up there.Custom Cincinnati Reds Nike Jerseys .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Custom San Francisco Giants Nike Jerseys .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-miami-marlins-nike-jerseys . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Custom Detroit Tigers Nike Jerseys . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Custom Baseball Jerseys . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug.NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Two-time defending champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic advanced to the Connecticut Open quarterfinals by beating Canadas Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday night.Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion and a bronze medalist in the Rio Olympics, won 10 straight games after falling behind 3-1 in the first set. She will face Ekaterina Makarova of Russia next. Makarova won her second-round match Tuesday.Once Kvitova overcame her slow start and broke Bouchards serve to make it 3-2 in the first, she went on the attack. By the time she lost another game, she was leading the second set 5-1.I need a couple of games to find my rhythm, Kvitova said. Ill never be the player who will wait for the [opponents] mistake.Bouchard said she started with an aggressive mindset but started backing off to give herself more time to return Kvitovas shots.In hindsight, I dont tthink that was the right play, she said.dddddddddddd She has a big game, and when shes on, shes on. Its tough to beat.Belgiums Kirsten Flipkens beat Frances Caroline Garcia 7-6 (3), 7-5 to set up a match against top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. Radwanska advanced Tuesday.It all came down to a few points today, said Flipkens, a winner over Venus Williams in Rio. It could have gone her way as well.Second-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy topped Croatias Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-2. Vinci will face Swedens Johanna Larsson, a 7-6 (1), 6-4 winner over American Shelby Rogers 7-6 (1), 6-4.Asked about the earthquake that struck Italy on Wednesday, Vinci said her family wasnt directly affected.Its not an easy day for Italy, for the Italians, Vinci said. Its a tragedy. ' ' '