G in his past five games) elevates him all the way to No. 1

ANGERS, France -- Tour de France leader and world champion Peter Sagan has weighed in once more with his strong concerns for rider safety. But this time, he has called for the world body of cycling to introduce a law change that would allow for less congested and dangerous finales.Sagan (Tinkoff), who kept the yellow leaders jersey by finishing fourth in Mondays 223.5km Stage 3 from Granville to Angers in Brittany behind winner British sprinter Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), believes the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) should look at neutralising stages that are settled in bunch sprints several kilometres before the finish.He believes if the times for overall classification were taken before the race neared the finish, it would stop those vying for overall victory from getting involved in the sprints as they have been to avoid the crashes or splits that can happen and lead to costly time losses.It very dangerous. That is how I see things, Sagan said after the stage. Sagan is still first overall, eight seconds ahead of second-placed Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (FDJ) and 10 seconds up on Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in third.At 14 seconds are all but four overall favourites, led by Briton Chris Froome (Sky) in fourth. Further back are Italys Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) in 28th overall at 25 seconds, Frenchman Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) in 31st at the same time, Spaniard Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) in 57th at 1:02 and Australian Richie Porte (BMC), who is 77th at 1:59.Sagans call to the UCI follows his outburst on Sunday, when he won Stage 2 and took the leaders yellow jersey. He spoke of the safety hazards that come with riders in the peloton not respecting each other.Its very hard to enjoy racing on the bike, Sagan said Sunday. When I did my first Tour de France, it was a different race. Now everyone rides as if they dont care about life. Last year, it was very bad, and this year is very bad, but its the riders decision how they ride.You never know if youll be able to continue in the race. Today, Im in yellow, but maybe tomorrow I go home; this is the Tour de France, he added. In this moment, Im not an important rider in peloton [to change things]. Nobody cares. Its as if they lost their brains. I dont know what has happened. There are stupid crashes.Before there was respect: When someone did something, they threw bottles at him or beat him with a pump, but cycling has lost this.The stakes are now so high in cyclingSagans argument earned much agreement from Cavendish. The Manx Missile, whose Tour stage win took his tally to 28 overall in the Tour and tied him with the second-best all-time mark with French icon Bernard Hinault, also believes there has been a change in mindset among riders.The mentality has a changed a little bit. Some guys -- not all GC guys -- in the past, they used to all go to the back and roll in in a gentlemans kind of agreement, Cavendish said Sunday. Now, there are some riders who actively want to be ahead of the split. Its not just that they dont want to get caught out, so they dont want to be behind the split. They try to be up there hoping there is a split so they can get a few seconds. This is nothing to do with the course really, you know. Its more the riders.He has got a point, but the problem is that the stakes are now so high in cycling. There is more money going, Cavendish added about Sagans comments. He earns so much money that guys want to do so well to emulate how much money he earns. So they are going to try and take risks to do that.The difference between guys who win and lose is evident. The guys who win understand it. They have respect for each other. They are the first to congratulate the other guys who win. Its the ones who never win anything ... not all of them, its not fair to bracket every rider, but generically a lot of guys dont win, and they kind of feel bitterness toward the guys who win. Instead of appreciating what they have done, they kind of resent it.Its getting more dangerous in the bunchAdam Hansen, an Australian delegate of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associé, said the organization has asked the UCI to consider timing general classification in sprint stages with three kilometres to go.Hansen, 35, who is racing in a record 15th-consecutive three-week grand tour here, said Sagans remarks on Sunday were correct, but he added that the issue of respect among the riders was a responsibility for the riders to resolve and not the CPA.Hansen, who is not the CPA delegate at the Tour (those delegates are ex-French cyclists Jan Xavier and Pascal Chanteur), said the CPA believes it would be a bit safer if the times were taken at three kilometres to go [in a stage], not up until the final sprint.That way the sprinters can sprint and do their messy stuff, Hansen explained, and GC guys can relax and get out of the sprinters teams way.Hansen added that the CPAs proposed rule change on timing overall classification times in sprint stages would reduce stress leading up to and during a sprint finish. The proposed change is part of a CPA security plan that has been submitted to the UCI that also includes proposed measures for better security overall in races.Asked of Sagans concerns about rider behaviour, Hansen told ESPN: It is true what he says, thats for sure. Its getting more dangerous in the bunch. On the other side, there is more pressure from sponsors, the teams are getting stronger, teams are getting smarter. I think the level between the riders is becoming closer, so this doesnt help, either.Hansen also cited the last stage of this years Giro dItalia that he raced in. The race jury took times at the end of the second last eight-kilometre finishing circuit due to wet conditions.A lot of guys sat up and said, We dont want to be in that fight. We dont want to risk our lives just to get the same time. Hansen said. We got the same time, so we were out of the race and let the sprinters race [for the stage win] and that was a spectacular finish.That is one of the things riders are pushing for -- to have the rules changed so it is safe for the riders. Otherwise, we sort of get forced to race like idiots.Hansen said the race jurys call for the Giro final was backed by the majority of riders there from a poll taken through a new online communication system from the CPA. He said results have been used to bolster the CPAs UCI submission on race safety.I think 96 percent of the Giro riders agreed [neutralising the stage] was the right decision, Hansen said. Its definitely what the riders want, but trying to get the UCI to change the rules is something different. Cheap Hydro Flask . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. 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When watching DeMarcus Cousins play and evaluating his numbers over the years, it has always been easy to latch onto the things he does wrong, such as throw tantrums and get technical fouls, and overlook what he does right, such as put up 20.5 points and 10.8 rebounds a game over the course of his six-plus seasons in the NBA.Even when you take his scoring and rebounding into account, his below-average field goal percentage (46.1 percent in his career) and relatively low shot-blocking numbers (1.2 BPG in his career) for a big man have made it a trendy play to pass on him in favor of players such as?Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Hassan Whiteside.But guess what? That perception has to change.Not only is Cousins still scoring this season, putting up a career-high 28.7 PPG, but hes also still rebounding (10.4 RPG). On top of that, his shooting percentage of 47.2 percent would be the second-highest in his career if the season ended today. Theres more too. Cousins is dishing out more than three assists per game and getting more than one steal and one block per game, and he has become a force from 3-point land, shooting 39 percent from long range and making a career-best 1.7 3s per game.In a week with only a few major changes, Cousins is one of the headliners, moving ahead of Chris Paul and Karl-Anthony Towns to No. 10 on the list. Meanwhile, injury concerns stemming from Hassan Whitesides ailing knee move him down to NNo.dddddddddddd 9, with LeBron James leapfrogging him and moving to No. 8.Zach LaVines standout week leads to a big jump to 45. Minnesotas third-year guard has played 38.8 minutes per game his past five contests and averaged 21.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1 steal and 1.6 3s in that span. His 36.3 minutes per game this season are tied with teammate Andrew Wiggins?for sixth in the league, and you shouldnt expect that to change under coach Tom Thibodeau.Elsewhere around the league, Mike Conleys transverse process fracture in his vertebrae is expected to sideline him six-to-eight weeks, and we have moved the Memphis point guard down to No. 99 as a result. Also, with Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin IV expected to serve as Conleys main fill-ins at point guard, we have listed Harrison at 150 and will track the rookie Baldwin in the weeks ahead to see if he warrants a spot on the list.Notable additions to this weeks rankings include athletic Denver rookie guard Jamal Murray, whose huge week (18.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 2.8 3PG in his past five games) elevates him all the way to No. 106. Terrence Jones (96), Cody Zeller (110) and Frank Kaminsky (141) are three other newcomers, though Jones should have been included in last weeks list.Here is the full rundown of the updated Top 150 rankings: Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys [url