As defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome readies for his bid to win a third title, he knows that while everyone will be looking at his form on the bike, many are interested to see how he will be received by the crowd he races by every day for the next three weeks.If Froome didnt know it before Team Skys press conference on Thursday at the team hotel in Omaha Beach in Normandy, he was reminded of it and the incidents of last years race when urine was thrown in his face by some in the Tour crowd; he and his teammates were also booed, with one -- Richie Porte, now with BMC Racing -- being punched.Since Froome won his first of two Tours in 2013 -- the second being last year -- the Briton has faced constant questioning and speculation over his training and eventual performance.Over and over, Froome has replied to those who have asked in a bid to convince them of the legitimacy of his wins. Many have believed him, but his critics voice seemingly grew louder -- to the point where reaction intensified to the vile and extreme levels of last years race.So what reception does Froome expect from the Tour crowd this year after the race gets under way with the 188km first stage from Mont Saint Michel to Utah Beach on Saturday?Hopefully the same way we were received a couple of weeks ago back in the [Criterium du] Dauphiné [a race in France that he won] because there was a great atmosphere there, Froome replied softly and with a smile.The biggest race for us is the Tour de France.Its the biggest race of our calendar. We love being here and we love racing in France.Growing concern: Security and mechanical dopingFroome was equally reserved when asked of a greater fear than hecklers; that being concerns for safety throughout the Tour entourage due to terrorism.Security on the Tour been bolstered in response to the Paris terrorist attacks last November, with the addition of 23,000 extra police and gendarmes. And the elite special force, the GIGB (Groupe dintervention de la Gendarmerie nationale) that includes a counter-terrorism branch, has been appointed by the Interior Ministry to Tour duty for the first time.Asked if he had noticed the heightened security since arriving in Normandy for the Tour, Froome replied simply: We havent seen any additional personnel here or anything like that. Our focus is on the race. What you mentioned there is something happening behind the scenes. We didnt come here thinking about it our focus is on our race.Nevertheless, as doping and the new fears of terrorism that need being addressed, the increasingly international Tour de France and cycling more widely are likely to survive.Sure, sponsors have come and gone, but others have emerged; likewise teams.Similarly, champions have been lauded, then made pariahs for their cheating, only for new stars to emerge and take their place. That said, we must recognize that some riders will still always succumb to temptation despite the moves to address doping that have led many to believe cycling is now cleaner if not clean.Performance-enhancing drugs are not the only temptationMechanical doping, whereby motors are hidden in the bikes of riders, has been the subject of reports for several years, but the rumour was shown to be very real in April when a motor was found in the back-up bike of Belgian under-23 cyclo-cross rider Femke Van den Driessche at the world championships. She retired, but was been banned six years.The world governing body of cycling that banned Van den Driessche, the Union Cycliste Internationale, has since implemented regular bikes controls at myriad races, and officials says it has resources to carry out 4000 tests at the Tour de France. As part of a crackdown, high-powered thermal cameras using atomic research technology will also be used.The technology, created by the French research body into atomic energy -- the CEA -- detects heat produced by a small hidden motor, even when the motor is turned off.The cameras can be fitted by the road to monitor bikes as they pass, or on motorbikes or officials cars that overtake, riders. The UCI will also continue using its magnetic wave scanning system at Tour stage starts and finishes that uses a tablet and detects a motor, magnet or battery in a frame, or components; the system has been used since the start of the year.This problem is worse than doping, the French Secretary of State for Sports Thierry Braillard told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche on Sunday.The very future of cycling is hanging in the balance.So determined is Braillard to tackle mechanical doping that he plans to submit a law to parliament later this year that deems it as sporting fraud and punishable by law.Mark Cavendish: The Tour has just got harderIn the meantime, for those riders in the Tour, there is more than enough to consider ahead of the 2016 Tour that has been dubbed as having the hardest route in many years.Froome says his campaign to win a third Tour will be the toughest challenge of his career.Asked how the Tour had evolved, and its impact on him, he said: Since I have come in to the race realistically looking to fight for overall victory [it] has become much more of a climbers dominated race .... I just feel as if this year more than any other the level of competition is that much higher. I have got more rivals and the level of my rivals is that much stronger.Concurring with Froome, but from the other end of the field -- unless in a bunch sprint -- is fellow Briton Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data) who is about to race his 10th Tour.Asked how the Tour had changed, Cavendish said: It has just got harder, not harder as in like ... it is kinda taken out of context. If it is a hard profile, it doesnt necessarily make it a hard day.Flat stages can be the hardest stages in a Tour de France, especially with the mental stress. In 2008 there were 18 climbs [categorised two, one and above] in the whole Tour. Last year there were 18 in the last week. Every year it has gone up more.Cavendish said there were also more stages in the Tour to suit riders who may not be pure climbers but who are good on hillier days -- of which there are also more.And in the sprints stages that remain, Cavendish said overall contenders are increasingly getting in the fray to avoid crashes mid-field, even though it heightens congestion up front.Obviously the sprint opportunities are less ... pure bunch sprints, he said. It makes more people win, which is good for the sport, but it definitely changes our approach to the Tour.You dont go with a nine-man lead-out team to a Tour de France any more, unless you are happy with just a couple of stage wins. There are also more GC [general classification] contenders than there ever was, with teams built behind them. That makes it very difficult in sprints ... [when] you have GC guys and sprinters in a final, especially in a first day.Suffice to say, no matter how the Tour faces change -- no matter the means -- there is one constant: that being, the race remains one of sports toughest challenges of mind and body. Fake Air Max 720 .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Wholesale Nike Shoes Clearance . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-max-1-shoes.html . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. 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MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin coach Greg Gard says what makes Nigel Hayes and the Badgers play at their best is one in the same -- how far the 6-foot-8 forward is from the basket.And with Hayes working largely from 18 feet and in, he scored a season-high 28 points Saturday as No. 17 Wisconsin shook off a slow start and blew past Oklahoma 90-70.The further he gets from the basket, the more the hard match-up scenarios level off or dissipate, Gard said.Gard said what impressed him most about Hayes was he shot 13 free throws, hitting 10, and didnt turn the ball over once while dishing out six assists. Most of those assists were at the rim as the defense collapsed, opening up outside shots.Hayes said hes just taking what the defense gives him.Its just a matter of me staying consistent, staying confident in myself with the work I put in, whether its inside or outside, just going with that mindset that no one can guard me, said Hayes, who took only two 3-point attempts and made both.The Badgers (7-2) trailed Oklahoma (5-2) the entire first half as they struggled to guard dribble handoffs that gave the Sooners momentum while attacking the rim. But once the Badgers cleaned that up and found their shooting touch, they pulled away.Wisconsin was 4 of 13 from behind the arc in the first half, and Rashard Odomes put Oklahoma up 58-57 with a 12-footer 8 minutes into the second half. But Bronson Koenig of the Badgers answered with a 3 that started a 20-3 run to put the game away.The Badgers connected on 8 of 14 3-point attempts in the second half, including three in their decisive run.Koenig, Ethan Happ and DMitrik Trice all scored 16 points for Wisconsin.Oklahoma committed 16 turnovers, eight in each half. But the Sooners were able to overcome that in the first half by hitting 5 of 8 from behind the 3-point line. Those shots stopped falling in the second half as they went 1 of 6, and coach Lon Kruger said the Sooners didnt find a way to answer as WWisconsins confidence shot up in their final run.ddddddddddddOdomes led Oklahoma with 17 points.Some of it was certainly our doing. Some of it was Wisconsin making a good play, Kruger said of the 20-3 run. Those opportunities are what we have to learn from and certainly do a better job.BIG PICTUREOklahoma: It was the first true road game and first against a ranked opponent for a squad that has 11 underclassmen on the roster. But the Sooners didnt come out intimidated and built an eight-point lead in the first half. Still, they contributed to that decisive Wisconsin run with six turnovers over the 5-minute run. They havent beaten a ranked non-conference team in a true road game since 1989.Wisconsin: When the Badgers have an inside and outside game working together, they can put on a display. Struggling from outside in the first half, they were outscored 40-37. Hitting from the 3-point line, they outscored Oklahoma 53-30 in the second half.FALSE ALARMMidway through the first half, the Kohl Centers firm alarm went off, triggering a recorded message there was an abnormal condition in the building and urging everyone to exit. The game continued with the alarm still going off, including as Hayes went to the free throw line and hit 1 of 2. The alarm eventually stopped, and the public address announcer said there was no emergency in the building.POLL IMPLICATIONSThats consecutive wins for Wisconsin over teams from Power Five conferences, which should provide a boost to the Badgers, who dropped a spot in the poll last week after losing to North Carolina 71-56 in Hawaii.UP NEXTOklahoma: On Wednesday, the Sooners host Oral Roberts, who they have beaten 14 straight times.Wisconsin: The Badgers host Idaho State on Wednesday.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '