The first stage of the 100th Tour de France ended in chaotic scenes with riders crashing and a bus parked on the finish line until moments from the end on Saturday. German rider Marcel Kittel escaped the mayhem to win the first ever stage on Corsica, beating Norwegian sprinter Alexander Kristoff in a sprint finish. "This is by far the greatest day in my whole life," Kittel said. "I hope I can sleep, Im going to be pretty excited about tomorrow." What happened behind them was far more incidental. The decision was initially taken late on to shorten the flat stage by three kilometres because a bus from the Orica Greenedge team was stuck on the finish line. But organizers managed to move the colossal vehicle just in time. "This was a really unfortunate situation," Greenedge sporting director Matt White said. "The bus was led under the finish gantry, and we took it for granted that there was enough clearance." Kittel was lucky to avoid the crash to win the flat 213-kilometre trek from Porto Vecchio to Bastia in just under 5 hours. Kristoff and third-place Danny van Poppel clocked the same time. "It feels like I have gold on my shoulders," Kittel said about wearing the yellow jersey. "I didnt know about the bus. Im glad they were able to move it." Because of the unforeseen circumstances, all 198 riders got the same time. "We wouldve preferred a nice finish like the one wed planned. But in exceptional situations, you have to take exceptional decisions," race events director Jean-Francois Pescheux said by telephone. "Were not going to stop the riders, and ask (them) what decision we should take." Kittel would have faced stiffer competition if more than a dozen riders hadnt fallen close to the end, among them two-time former champion Alberto Contador and sprinter Peter Sagan. They got back up, with Contadors left shoulder cut and bruised. "I knew that Mark and Andre (Greipel) were no longer in contention and it was a good chance for us," said Kittel, who also finished the day with the best sprinters green jersey. British sprinter Mark Cavendish was stuck behind those who fell and could not challenge for his 24th stage win on a day he was hoping to wear the prestigious yellow jersey for the first time. "Im lucky I didnt come down," Cavendish said. "What caused the problems was changing the finish. Like, we heard on the radio with literally 5K to go that the sprint was in 2k and then a K (kilometre) later, they were like No, its at the finish. Its just carnage." Francaise Des Jeux team manager Marc Madiot was furious. "The president of the (race jury) didnt do his job," he said. "When we (managers, riders) make a mistake we get a fine. Well, he should get a huge fine." Cavendishs Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate Tony Martin fell and was taken to hospital after losing consciousness, while Contador had a bad day, too. Returning from a doping ban which also cost him his 2010 Tour victory, the Spaniard grimaced in pain as he crossed the line. "I am fine," Contador said through a translator. "Someone didnt brake in front of me." Johnny Hoogerland, who sustained cuts to his legs on the 2011 Tour after being hit by a Tour car, was sent tumbling after hitting a crash barrier near the end. He was helped back onto his bike and able to continue. Last years Giro dItalia winner, Victorias Ryder Hesjedal, was caught in another crash moments later but continued. David Veilleux of Cap-Rouge, Que., finshed in 84th with Hesjedal seven back in 91st. Svein Tuft from Langley, B.C., finished the first stage 167th. With the finish line in sight and as the nerves jangled, some 20 riders hit the tarmac. "It was just a complete disaster," Greipel said. It proved to be an incident-packed day from the outset. Before the stage, French Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron met with a delegation of riders unhappy about pre-race media reports that they thought focused too heavily on doping stories. The day before, Lance Armstrong hogged headlines when he told Le Monde he couldnt have won his seven Tours without doping. Once the race began, tour favourite Chris Froome stopped to get a new rear wheel early on and stopped for a second time to get a new bike. "Its a reminder that this tour is about so much more than just having the form," Froome said. "Its about staying out of trouble." Sundays second stage is shorter but features four climbs along the 156-kilometre (97-mile) ride from Bastia to Ajaccio.
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Roger Maris Jersey .J. -- Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets.TSN.ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. Rankings were weighted evenly between separate lists made by TSN Radio host and soccer analyst Gareth Wheeler as well as TSN.cas soccer editors. 1. Chelsea (Last Week-1) Chelsea roared to a 3-0 victory over Newcastle thanks to a hat trick from Eden Hazard that moved them to the top of the table. They had to settle for a 1-1 draw with West Brom on Tuesday after conceding a late equalizer. 2. Manchester City (LW-2) Coming off their loss to Chelsea, Manchester City was not able to get in gear as they settled for a 0-0 draw with Norwich City. Their second game of the week against Sunderland was canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. 3. Liverpool (LW-4) A pair of impressive victories for Liverpool as first they smashed Arsenal 5-1 in a game that was over before the 20 minute mark and followed that up with a 3-2 win over Fulham in a game that was decided on a 90th minute penalty by Steven Gerrard. 4. Arsenal (LW-3) Twenty minutes into their match with Liverpool Arsenal was already finished in what would end up being a 5-1 defeat. In their second match they earned a 0-0 draw against Manchester United. 5. Tottenham (LW-6) Six points for Tottenham as they opened with a 1-0 victory over Everton, before going on the road to earn an emphatic 4-0 victory over Newcastle as they continue to chase the Champions League. 6. Everton (LW-5) One goal was the difference as Everton fell 1-0 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Weather was the difference in their second contest against Crystal Palace as it was called just 30 minutes before the scheduled kickoff. 7. Manchester United (LW-7) A pair of draws for the champions as they were first held at home 2-2 by Fulham before earning a 0-0 draw at Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. 8. Southampton (LW-8) Mixed results for the Saints this week as they picked up a point in a 2-2 draw with Stoke City before Jose Fontes goal gave them a 1-0 victory over Hull City. 9. Newcastle United (LW-9) A tough week for Newcastle as they were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before headding home for a 4-0 loss at the hands of Tottenham.dddddddddddd 10. Swansea City (LW-15) The Swans picked up four points this week scoring an emphatic 3-0 victory over Cardiff City on the weekend and drawing their midweek game against Stoke City 1-1. 11. West Ham United (LW-17) A pair of 2-0 victories were enough to earn six points for West Ham as they first defeated Aston Villa and then beat Norwich City to earn maximum points. 12. Stoke City (LW-13) A pair of draws for Stoke City as they drew Southampton 2-2 on the road before sharing the points in a 1-1 saw off with Swansea City at Britannia Stadium. 13. Aston Villa (LW-11) Aston Villa earned a single point without scoring a goal in either of their fixtures this week. They fell 2-0 to West Ham before holding Cardiff to a 0-0 draw. 14. Hull City (LW-14) Hull City opened the week by earning a 2-0 road victory over Sunderland thanks to goals from Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic, before falling 1-0 at home to Southampton. 15. Crystal Palace (LW-19) Crystal Palace put three goals past West Brom to earn themselves a 3-1 victory in their weekend game but were not given the chance to ride their momentum as their midweek game against Everton was called due to poor weather. 16. West Bromwich Albion (LW-12) A tough day saw West Brom fall 3-1 at the hands of Crystal Palace before Victor Anichebes late marker earned them a midweek point in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea. 17. Sunderland (LW-10) Sunderland lost 2-0 to Hull City at the Stadium of Light on the weekend before having their midweek clash with Manchester City called off due to inclement weather. 18. Norwich City (LW-16) Norwich City stymied title contender Manchester City in a 0-0 draw before stumbling on the road and falling 2-0 at the hands of West Ham in their midweek fixture. 19. Cardiff City (LW-18) It was a goalless week for Cardiff as they were beaten 3-0 by Swansea on the weekend and then settled for a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Tuesday. 20. Fulham (LW-20) A solid 2-2 draw for Fulham against Manchester United opened the week before Liverpool shocked them with a 90th minute penalty as they fell 3-2. ' ' '
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