e -- The expected battle between Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana at the To

LE LIORAN, France -- The expected battle between Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana at the Tour de France has been put on hold for at least a couple of days.The leading contenders had a relatively quiet day in the races first medium mountain stage Wednesday, content to let Greg van Avermaet complete a successful solo attack and take the overall leaders yellow jersey. The Belgian rider is not in contention to finish top of the general classification, or GC, when the race ends in Paris.For us its just about winning the GC and Chris was comfortable. It was not really a day for the big GC guys, said Geraint Thomas, Froomes top support rider at Sky. Obviously some guys lost a bit of time but for Froomey it was just about staying at the front, staying calm and not losing any time to anybody.Two-time winner Alberto Contador and 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali both lost time over the demanding route through the Massif Central.Contador finished 33 seconds behind the other overall favorites while Nibali -- who won the Giro dItalia in May -- lost more than eight minutes, putting an end to his chances of overall victory.Its just a handful of seconds here, Thomas said. You cant write Contador off. Obviously its a bonus, but we certainly dont take anything for granted.Still, its looking more and more like a battle between Froome, the defending and two-time champion from Britain, and two-time runner-up Quintana from Colombia.Van Avermaet was part of an early nine-man breakaway and he methodically whittled down the group before accelerating past fellow Belgian Thomas De Gendt with 17 kilometers (10 miles) to go on the penultimate climb of the day.The 31-year-old Van Avermaet also won a stage in last years Tour and is known as a specialist at single-day classics and short stage races, having won Paris-Tours in 2011 and the Tirreno-Adriatico this year.Its special for me. Its the best jersey in the world. Its my first time and perhaps the last so I will enjoy every moment, Van Avermaet said. Its the best moment of my career. Winning a stage is already quite something but this takes it to another level.The 216-kilometer (134-mile) fifth stage from Limoges to Le Lioran featured five climbs in a constant up-and-down finish, including the 1,589-meter (5,213-foot) Pas de Peyrol.It was the first time that the Tour reached above 1,500 meters this early in the race since the leg-breaking start to the 1979 edition, which began with three stages in the Pyrenees over the first four days.Nibali was dropped on the Peyrol along with world champion Peter Sagan, who was wearing the yellow jersey for a third day.Sagan still has the green points jersey but he fell to 76th overall, more than 23 minutes behind.I dont care about it. Cest la vie, Sagan said, using a French phrase that translates to Thats life.De Gendt finished second in the stage, 2:35 behind and Rafal Majka of Poland, the 2014 King of the Mountains, crossed third, 5:04 back.In the overall standings, Van Avermaet holds a lead of 5:11 over rising French rider Julian Alaphilippe, with Spanish veteran Alejandro Valverde third, 5:13 behind.Froome is fifth, 5:17 behind, and Quintana is seventh with the same time.Contador, who fell twice in each of the opening two stages, is 25th, 6:38 back.I knew it would be hard, Contador said. The two crashes really hurt. Im still aching. Its not easy to recover. But Im hanging in there.Van Avermaet does not consider himself a threat for the overall title. He plans to support BMC captains Tejay van Garderen and Richie Porte in the Pyrenees and Alps.Its good to have good morale in the team and to take the pressure off, Van Avermaet said. The main goal for us is having Tejay or Richie on the podium in Paris.On a sunny and pleasant day with the temperature at about 20 degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit), fans -- many of them wearing polka-dot King of the Mountains jerseys -- lined the road in large numbers leading up to the Le Lioran ski resort.The most important thing was not crashing, because the descents were tricky and the pavement was melting, Van Avermaet said. It was good to stay concentrated and enjoy the last kilometer. Its kind of strange because Im a sprinter and usually you cannot enjoy the finish so much.Stage 6 Thursday is a flatter 190.5-kilometer (118-mile) leg from Arpajon-sur-Cere to Montauban. The next mountain stages come this weekend in the Pyrenees, although the Tour may not be decided until the race reaches the Alps in the third week.---AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Fake Jerseys Cheap . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Fake Jerseys China . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. https://www.fakejerseysfromchina.com/ . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Cheap Jerseys . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Wholesale China Jerseys . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Who qualifies as a sporting great? Who can really be called a legend? Some gain more support than others but, in the modern era, tennis?Andy Murray?and Formula?Ones Lewis Hamilton are at the top of the list in the British sporting pantheon.Comparing them with other enduring heroes is tough. Its easy to make cases for people such as Booby Moore, Englands World Cup-winning captain or five-time Olympic-gold-medal-winner Steve Redgrave.There are many others who deserve a mention, too, including Jackie Stewart, the unquestioned king of the F1 road in his day, Chris Hoy, who swept Olympic, Commonwealth and World Championship rivals away and 3-time Open winner Nick Faldo.But after a brilliant British sporting weekend that saw the nations tennis players claim five titles at Wimbledon, Hamilton win his home Grand Prix and Chris Froome retain the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, the focus is on two for whom the crown of the greatest appears to fits most snugly:Andy MurrayWhen he started out on tennis mens tour the nation couldnt decide whether he was more Scottish or British. In newspaper offices, journalists swung between the two descriptions depending on how well he was doing.?Today, things have changed. Murray is a multiple Grand Slam winner, Olympic champion and the guy who led his country to Davis Cup glory after an achingly-long wait.Hes the world No.2 in his sports greatest era and has shattered numerous long-standing records that had hung heavily from the nations shoulders. But there is more: he is also a tennis statesman, proud dad and fans favourite.The way Murray stops to sign programmes and tennis balls when he moves around Wimbledons courts, or has the time for a string of selfies with supporters in the corridors within the Centre Court building after wining the biggest title in his sport, speaks volumes.Even the morning after celebrating his latest Grand Slam title, when ESPN asked him about the legacy hed like to leave at the end of his career, he seemed a little embarrassed, too modest to have thought about his place in the British sporting pantheon.I dont know what my legacy will be, he said. When I finish, it would be nice if British tennis was in a better place than when I came in.Murray is no flash, money-mad sporting figure. In many ways, he is an anti-hero who has achieved fame and fortune despite a character which no marketing man would describe as perfect. Even Murrays camp describe him as a bit nerdy.The 29-year-old has earned a claim to British sporting greatness through taleent and hard work, building his physique and honing his skills.dddddddddddd Most of the other image-making elements which increase the popularity -- or notoriety -- of others have been eschewed.But when tennis has struggled with doping and betting scandals, he has been the voice of reason; the guy who gives an honest, thought-through opinion.Murray has shown his emotions and people have found they can relate to him as a result. Better than that, pundits, fans and the man in the street who only watches tennis once a year when it is served with strawberries and cream, can admire him.If he finally dethrones his great rival, Novak Djokovic, a stronger candidate would be hard to imagine.Leo SpallLewis HamiltonCome off the A10, drive through the unassuming housing estate and cross over the canal. If you find yourself at the sewage works, youve gone too far. This is where the story started -- a small go-kart track called Rye House in southern Hertfordshire.From the age of seven, Hamilton would complete laps of the circuit while his father, Anthony, stood behind the tyre barrier watching on.Aside from monitoring the progress of his son, Anthony would keep an eye on the more experienced karters, making a note of where the best ones hit the brakes for the trickiest corners.Once hed correlated the fastest times with the latest braking points, hed stand at the side of the track as a marker for his son to beat. Lap after lap, Hamilton Jnr would brake later and later, push harder and harder, until finally no-one could beat him.Fast forward 25 years and Hamiltons desire to be the latest driver on the brakes and the fastest driver on the circuit havent changed. But pretty much everything else has.The second-hand go-kart has been traded up to a world-beating Mercedes F1 car (he now has a team of engineers to analyse each braking point) and his humble roots in Hertfordshire have long been left behind for an exclusive residence in Monaco. He is now an international superstar known the world over -- and often for reasons that have nothing to do with his sport.But dont fall into the trap of misunderstanding Hamilton. At the core there remains a talented, determined and serious sportsman. At 31 years of age he is currently in his prime and on his way to a goal no other British driver has ever achieved: a fourth F1 world championship.He truly is on the verge of greatness.Laurence Edmondson ' ' '