ing of Joe Burns, meaning Marsh went in there for the spinners while U

Throughout the Tour de France, Australian professional cyclist Richie Porte will be checking in. Here is his latest entry, as told to ESPN contributor Rupert Guinness:Rest day: Berne, SwitzerlandIt was a day where riding your bike cannot get better: Tuesdays second rest day of the Tour de France. We know that from Wednesday on, the days will immediately return to being a punish with the next four stages being in the Alps. So Tuesday was one to appreciate.And that I did, from the moment I got up at 7.30am to when I turned the lights out at night. After breakfast, I went on my rest day ride with my French teammate Ama?l Moinard.We just rolled easy for 47km by the shores of Lake Thun -- what a beautiful lake it is too. When you are racing flat out, especially in the Tour, you dont really get to take in the surroundings, even thought they are often some of Europes most picturesque regions.Today, Tuesday, was one of the rare occasions where you can, while also riding our bikes. For Ama?l and I it was also a nice opportunity to catch up with some quiet and relaxed chat away from the bells and whistles -- and the ever present madness -- of the Tour de France.We spoke about the next four days in the Alps: how we see them unfold, who is looking good and all the difference scenarios of which there are many before Sundays finish.We also chatted about our plans for after the Tour. We have vastly different plans too. I will be heading to Rio for the Olympic Games, whereas Ama?l will be returning home to Saint Laurent du Var near Nice and some family time his wife, Morgane, and children live.But with four successive days in the Alps of the Tour in mind, we didnt forget the job at hand. We still have to focus on the job that awaits this week, and recovery for that was vital.We got back from our ride at about 11.30, in time to see the osteopath, have lunch, then a massage, a nap and then the rest of the day with my wife Gemma who arrived on Monday. It all sounds like a slow day, but trust me, it goes by too quickly -- as most good things do.And as I said, it will all seem like a distant memory when we resume racing on Wednesday with the first Alpine stage -- all of it in Switzerland -- from Berne to Finhaut-Emosson. Our minds will have already switched back to race mode by breakfast. We all realise the value of every opportunity between now and the end of the last Alpine stage on Saturday.Are there any vulnerabilities in Sky and Chris Froome who still leads the Tour overall? Of course there are. They exist in the however many hundred kilometres there are to go in the Tour. Unforseen thing can happen. The Tour is not over. I certainly dont see it that way.I dont expect any of the other top contenders see it that way either -- from Froome down. 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Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level.Shaun Marshs dive to catch a bat and pad chance from Temba Bavuma was a significant moment for Australia for a few reasons, quite apart from being a terrific piece of fielding.Short leg to a spinner is arguably the hardest position in the game in terms of courage and skill, leaving the fielder open to all kinds of punishment and danger when slow bowlers pitch short or the batsman opens his shoulders to slog sweep. As Chris Rogers has recounted in his new book Bucking the Trend.Ive always hated the position. I fielded there a lot as a younger player, particularly for Beau Casson. He mixed great deliveries with loose ones, meaning the short leg could be peppered. During one match at Adelaide Oval for Western Australia, I was struck on the full on my ankle and the ball then ricocheted all the way to midwicket, who proceeded to take the catch. All the players ran to the fielder except for Beau, who ran straight to me, where I lay writhing in pain on the ground.After numerous blows, I started to dislike playing annd would hardly speak when positioned close in.dddddddddddd. Its a terrible spot to field and those who criticise these fielders would be better served to keep their mouth shut until theyve experienced what it is like in there. The best ones are those who dont fear it and I wasnt one of them - Rob Quiney is possibly the bravest Ive seen.Australia had lost their first choice for short leg with the dropping of Joe Burns, meaning Marsh went in there for the spinners while Usman Khawaja went under the lid for the pacers. The intervention to catch Bavuma ended a pesky partnership for South Africa.At the same time it provided a nice bit of nostalgia for Shauns father Geoff Marsh, watching from the stands. A decade or three ago he fielded there for Australia in Tests, once claiming a particularly fine catch from the bat and pad of one Ian Botham at the SCG. This take, though, was better.Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '