Tejay van Garderen was third overall in the Tour de France a year ago, just a handful of stages between him and a podium place in Paris, when he pulled to the side of the road and climbed into his team car.A respiratory infection he had been fighting for days had forced him out of the race.It was a bitter disappointment for van Garderen, who has twice finished fifth in cyclings marquee race, but also for American fans waiting for someone to step into the void left by Lance Armstrong.Perhaps this is the year that finally happens.Van Garderen will join four other Americans on the start line Saturday in Mont-Saint-Michel, all of them with enough ability to stir things up. In fact, van Garderen and Richie Porte were picked as co-leaders of the BMC Racing Team, which means the 27-year-old from Tacoma, Washington, will have plenty of support.Ive already raced the Tour de France a couple of times with most of these guys, so I couldnt be happier to line up with them once again, van Garderen said. Im in great shape. Im really motivated.Van Garderen withdrew his name from consideration for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, citing concerns about the Zika virus, with his wife due to give birth in October. That means the Tour is his sole priority.As if there was any doubt, given the way last year shook out.Hell be joined at the Tour by teammate Brent Bookwalter, who will be part of the two-man U.S. squad in Rio. Cannondale Pro Cycling also has two Americans in Lawson Craddock and Alex Howes, despite Andrew Talansky skipping the race because of family concerns and a chronic sinus infection. Peter Stetina rounds out the American contingent for Trek-Segafredo. Stetina, who suffered career-threatening injuries in a crash at Pais-Vasco last year, may have the best feel-good story in the peloton.The five American riders are two more than a year ago, when the fewest in nearly two decades made it to the start, but still represent a modest total -- there were 10 just five years ago.For various reasons, several of Americas brightest stars are joining Talansky on the sideline.Taylor Phinney was not part of BMCs roster, his sights set instead on the Rio Olympics, where he has a chance to medal in the time trial. Tyler Farrar, a stage winner in 2011, was passed over by his Dimension Data team, and Ben King was skipped over by Cannondale despite his strong performance in California.Still, those on the start list for the Tour have enough ability to make good on their aspirations.Van Garderen is a legitimate podium threat, especially after his recent stage win in the Tour de Suisse. Bookwalter has a punchers chance to win from a breakaway. Stetina will focus on helping Dutch teammate Bauke Mollema in the hills but proved at the Tour of California that he can surprise on any uphill stage.Craddock, a bright-eyed Texan, and Howes, who like Stetina grew up in the cycling hotbed near Boulder, Colorado, are intriguing youngsters who believe they have something to prove.With it being my first Tour its hard to place certain expectations on myself, Craddock said. Just lining up on the start line of the Tour is a dream come true, so if I were able to wear a jersey there, then I think my mind would just explode. That being said, Im a born and bred bike racer, and I line up to every race I do with dreams of winning. Im not just going to the Tour to be pack fodder.Not just pack fodder? Sure doesnt sound like a Tour rookie.Jonathan Vaughters, who founded the U.S.-based Cannondale team, said French veteran Pierre Rolland will be the pivot-point of his squad. But he didnt dismiss the 24-year-old Craddock or the 28-year-old Howes from trying to animate the race, especially given their charmingly cavalier attitudes.The anticipation of this race is huge, Craddock said. I imagine the few days leading up to the start Ill have a few more nerves than normal, but at the end of the day, its just another bike race. The neutral flag goes down on the first stage, Im sure those nerves will be replaced with pure adrenaline. Cheap Jordan 2 China . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Jordan Retro 2 Cheap .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.cheapairjordan2.com/ . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Jordan 2 For Sale . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Wholesale Air Jordan 2 . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. The New England Patriots without Tom Brady looked very much like the New England Patriots with him.Jimmy Garoppolo made his first NFL start in place of Brady, who sat out Game 1 of his four-game Deflategate ban Sunday night -- and the third-year QB led the Patriots to a 23-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.The Patriots, also without injured tight end Rob Gronkowski, ran the ball nearly half the time -- they threw 65 percent of the time last season -- but in many ways, this offense didnt look much different with Garoppolo at the helm.His final stats: 24 for 33 for 264 yards and a touchdown (on his first drive) along with 12 yards rushing and -- get this -- one pass catch. He caught a ball that was deflected back to him by a Cardinals lineman and took it for a three-yard gain. Most telling: On third down, Garoppolo went 8 for 10 for 107 yards and seven first downs.Arizonas Larry Fitzgerald (two TDs) caught three of his eight passes on the closing drive to help the Cardinals reach field-goal range with 41 seconds left. But a low snap from Kameron Canaday led to a wide-left miss from 47 yards by Chandler Catanzaro.After a day in which every other team in the AFC East lost, the Patriots headed back home in a familiar spot -- first place. Theyll play their next three games, all without Brady, at home.In case you missed it, here are the other top topics after the NFL seasons opening Sunday:MAKING A POINT (OR TWO): If the opening Sunday of the NFL season is a day for making statements, then consider the Oakland Raiders and their coach, Jack Del Rio, to have spoken the loudest. When the Raiders got the ball, trailing New Orleans by seven, Del Rio let his team know theyd be going for a win, not a tie and overtime, after they scored a touchdown. After Derek Carr moved Oakland downfield for that touchdown with 47 seconds left, Del Rio stuck to his word -- going for 2, even when the book says to take the tie. Carr threw to Michael Crabtree, who reached over Ken Crawley and made the grab. Oakland won 35-34. I didnt really ask for any feedback there, Del Rio said of his game-winning decision.ANTHEMS: The most visible signs of protest during national anthems played across the league on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks came from Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters , who raised a black-gloved fist in a gesture reminiscent of what sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos did at the Olympics in 1968. Later, four Miami Dolphins kneeled on the sideline with hands on their hearts while The Star Spangled Bannner played in Seattle.dddddddddddd On the opposite sideline, a different scene: The Seahawks listened to the anthem with their arms interlocked. San Francisco backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick inspired the debate by taking a knee before preseason games to call attention to what he termed the oppression of blacks and other minorities. I still have some family in the struggle, Peters said. All Im saying is we want to educate those, the youth thats coming up.CLOCK WATCH: With no timeouts and the clock ticking under 10 seconds, Cowboys receiver Terrance Williams shouldve veered toward the sideline but didnt. It cost Dallas a chance at a long game-winning field goal attempt. This benefited the Giants, who held on 20-19, and didnt have to relive another clock-induced nightmare in Big D. In last years season-opener, Eli Manning mismanaged the clock near the Dallas goal line and settled for a field goal that gave the Cowboys the ball with enough time to drive for the winning score. The Giants went on to lose four more games after clock problems last season. The guy was trying to make a play, Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott said of Williams. You never want to knock a guy trying to make a play. If only social media were as kind.COMEBACK KIDS: In 2015, the Chiefs started 1-5 and won 10 straight to make the playoffs. To kick off 2016, they started down 24-3 and scored 30 of the next 33 to get a win. Kansas City topped San Diego 33-27 in overtime. It was the biggest comeback in the 56-year history of the Chiefs. Youre going to have games like this that show your character, show your grit, coach Andy Reid said. Im proud of the way they handled it.GAMES PEOPLE PLAY: Those who had Chargers receiver Keenan Allen on their fantasy roster might want to look at the waiver wire. Allen hurt his right knee against the Chiefs and had to be carted off the field. The Chargers had already lost receiver Stevie Johnson to a knee injury; Johnson caught 45 passes last season. Meanwhile, more than 30 percent of those who play in survivor pools breathed a huge sigh of relief when Russell Wilson led the Seahawks on a late touchdown drive for a come-from-behind 12-10 victory over Miami. The Seahawks were the biggest favorite of the week, at 10.5 points.---Follow Eddie Pells on Twitter at http://twitter.com/epells---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '