Neuigkeiten » oosen, Combrinck, Mapoe, De Allende, Habana, Jantji

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Olympic road cycling races promise to be a grueling, 6-hour showcase featuring everything from the sun-splashed beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema to the squalor of the nearby slums.Theres the backdrop of historic Fort Copacabana, and the long, fast flats along the brilliant blue waters of the Atlantic. There are the harrowing climbs and brutal descents on slick roads twisting through jungle, and the jarring cobblestone sections that add a little spice and a lot of bumps.Yes, the route itself could be the star of these Summer Games.Its the hardest course Ive seen in a single-day race, said American rider Megan Guarnier, who made a special trip to Brazil just to scout the course. It has everything in it.Even stray dogs, which have scampered out of the favelas during training rides and led U.S. rider Brent Bookwalter to describe his first Olympic experience as wild.Its legit. Its a fully diverse course, he said. The route is spectacular.Which is precisely the point. The road race has always been a showpiece of cycling, positioned first in the program and rolling off the morning after the opening ceremony.The race at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 sent riders past the iconic Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and portions of the Great Wall of China. Like the course in Rio, it then sent riders off into the countryside, though the elevation changes were nothing like they will face in Brazil.Four years ago, the London Olympics course started and ended with the spectacular setting of Buckingham Palace. More than a million people lined the route, packing the climb of Box Hill in the green Surrey countryside, in a nod to cycling fever that gripped the country in the days after Bradley Wiggins won Britain its first Tour de France.Now, it is Rio de Janeiros opportunity to shine.Im surprised someone signed off on a course this hard, New Zealands George Bennett said. Its hectic, its dangerous. There are slippery roads, patches of oil, difficult corners. It could send you home early. But its the kind of racing I like. I like the chaos.The chaos begins when the men roll off from the century-old fort Saturday morning. They will cover 236 kilometers (146 miles), more than any single stage of the Tour, and climb 3,600 meters (11,800 feet), on par with hard one-day races such as Liege-Bastogne-Liege.The Olympic road race should be relatively quiet along the coast, then begin to shake out on the first of two circuits, a lumpy 25-kilometer loop the men will tackle four times. Riders then head back to Rio and begin the second sets of circuits, two-and-a-half laps dealing with the Vista Chinesa climb and its 10 percent gradient, before a fast finish near Copacabana Beach.The womens course is identical but with fewer laps of the two circuits.The upshot of such an arduous layout is this: Some names even the most casual of cycling fans will recognize should have a rare opportunity to chase Olympic glory.Thats because the difficulty of the course lends itself to riders who can handle the climbing of a three-week Grand Tour, rather than an unpredictable wild-card that often springs from nowhere on flatter layouts. So, count Kenyan-born Tour de France champion Chris Froome of Britain among the contenders, even though hes had scant success in other one-day races.You have to give it all on the day. You have to be willing to gamble and take your chances, Froome said. The Tour is over and of course I am happy that I won, but now Im here to think about the Olympics. The goal is to try to get a medal for Great Britain.Froome pointed to the Colombian contingent headlined by Esteban Chaves and Rigoberto Uran, Spanish star Alejandro Valverde and former Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali of Italy as favorites.Other riders who excel on hard courses include Dan Martin of Ireland and Rui Costa of Portugal.The quartet of Americans is expected to pace the womens race Sunday with Guarnier joined by Evelyn Stevens, Mara Abbott and Kristin Armstrong. But the Dutch squad of Anna Van Der Breggen and reigning gold medalist Marianne Vos should factor, along with world champion Lizzie Armitstead of Britain.Considering what they must traverse, whoever stands on the podium likely will have earned it.Weve never seen a course like this, Bennett said, and probably wont see one like it again.Fjallraven Kanken Classic Ox Red/Royal Blue Backpack .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Kanken Mini Frost Green . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. http://www.cheapkankenbackpack.com/cheap-kanken-no-2-backpack.html . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. Fjallraven Kanken Big Ox Red/White Backpack . JOHNS, N. Fjallraven Kanken Mini Backpack Pink . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months.South Africa vs. ArgentinaSaturday, kick-off 17.05 (local)NelspruitTwo teams who have largely been written off for Rugby Championship glory, South Africa and Argentina, lock horns before they look to upset favourites New Zealand. Calls for the Springboks to adopt the game plan of Super Rugbys Lions seem to have been largely ignored so far but that could all change on Saturday.Team NewsJohan Goosen, Bryan Habana, Oupa Mohoje, Lood de Jager all return to action for South Africa, while Julian Redelinghuys is named to debut for the Springboks. Mohoje replaces Siya Kolisi, who recently underwent ankle surgery.Agustin Creevy will win his 50th cap for Argentina when he captains Los Pumas against South Africa, and he will be joined by?Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and Ramiro Herrera in the front row.?Matías Alemanno and Tomas Lavanini make up the second row while experienced flanker Juan Manuel Leguizamon also features. Nicolas Sanchez will pull the strings at fly-half.South Africa: Goosen, Combrinck, Mapoe, De Allende, Habana, Jantjies, De Klerk; Mtawarira, Strauss (c), Redelinghuys, Etzebeth, De Jager, Louw, Mohoje, WhiteleyReplacements:?Mbonambi, Kitshoff, Koch, Du Toit, Kriel, Paige, De Jongh, KrielArgentina: Tuculet, Cordero, Orlando, Hernández, Montero, Sánchez, Landajo; Chaparro, Creevy (c), Herrera, Alemanno, Lavanini, Matera, Leguizamon, IsaReplacemennts: Montoya, Arregui, Pieretto, Petti, Desio, Cubelli, Iglesias, MoyanoKey head-to-headWinning scrums will be the biggest priority for South Africa.ddddddddddddSpringboks head coach Allister Coetzee?has stated repeatedly how important it is for his team to make the set-piece a strength, and?tighthead Redelinghuys?will be looking forward to testing himself against a fearsome Argentina scrum.Key statsSouth Africa and Argentina had never played against each other until 1993.Argentina battled to a 37-25 victory in Durban last year, their first-ever victory over South Africa.Los Pumas finished 4th at the Rugby World Cup in England, but they are huge outsiders for Rugby Championship glory with Unibet having them down at 66/1 shot compared with South Africa at 6/1.Form guideSouth Africa: WLWLWWArgentina: LLWWWLOddsUnibet have a South Africa victory priced at 9/50 and offer an Argentina win at 41/10.PredictionSouth Africa should prove too strong for Argentina, providing they can dominate the set-pieces. Los Pumas have enjoyed a degree of success in South Africa since joining the Rugby Championship and they will look to put the Springboks under pressure, but a close South Africa win appears to be the most probable outcome.? ' ' '