time -- with 10 in his last 23 games.Now the Mets head to Mi

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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:Stage 20 - Megève to Morzine - 146.5 km (91 miles)When I stood at the toilet peeing blood on the first rest day of the Tour de France in Andorra almost two weeks ago, I feared that my race was over. Forget the frustration of my stage two 1:45 time loss from a tyre puncture.As I quickly found out, I had a urinary tract infection that required me to go through two lots of antibiotics to fully recover from it. The team has been great about it. Besides treating me for the condition, the team still remained one hundred supportive of my chance and backed me accordingly to the finish.This Tour has not been an easy run. Nor has it for anyone who raced it; even though some who followed it from outside of the peloton may say it was not the most exciting Tour. But discovering my health problem after I peed blood in Andorra on July 11 really brought it home to me what impact racing an event as hard as the Tour can have on your health.For obvious reasons I did not talk about my health issue when it arose. I am glad I did not. This Tour has really taught me so much about how to handle crisis moments, whether it be due to an overnight illness or in-race misfortune such as a crash or clash with spectators. But I also rallied and came on strong towards the end and found myself in a position to fight for the podium.I will eventually miss out by two places on Sunday when the Tour finishes stage 21 from Chantilly to the Champs èlysèes in Paris, but to still finish fifth overall is great. What gets me is the feeling that I have thrown time away.Crashes knock you around a bit and can make life in the race uncomfortable, but losing time senselessly is disappointing. Still, I felt I was one of the stronger riders, and that serves as extra motivation for next year.Sure, I wish it wasnt raining as it was the last two days in the Tour, but everyone faced it. I stuck at it and Im glad for that. When we got to the bottom of the last climb of stage 20 on Saturday, the Col de Joux Plane, everyone was in the hurt locker.Maybe, if it had of been dry, we wouldve seen more aggressive racing between the contenders. We came down from the Joux Plane summit to Morzine safely, but on the limit. It was so slippery. I wouldnt say I was scared, but it was in the back of your mind that things could easily go wrong.I am honoured to be riding for BMC as I am. The team brought me in as a leader and this shows that without the bad luck I would be [here and] capable of really fighting for it. That is probably more important to me actually mentally for next year ... to know I can do it.In many ways, the Tour has been quieter too. I did not become targeted to the sort things that Ive experienced before. Sure I had my stage two flat, and the crash with Froome and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) into the motor bike on Mont Ventoux late on stage 12.And I had a hat thrown at me in the stage 17 time-trial by someone and a couple of guys abuse me. But generally this year the atmosphere by the side of the road has been a lot better. There was not the intensity and volatile nature of the crowds I experienced before.There has been no shortage of motivation to push so hard so late in the Tour. That also stems from being picked for Australia to race in the Olympics time trial and road race events. The Olympics are a big carrot.Normally tomorrow I would go to a big party. But with the Games on, Ill go home to Monaco on Monday for four days, recover, then race the Clásica San Sebastian in Spain on Saturday before bottling my form to race in Rio.First things first ... I need to finish stage 21 of this years Tour to Paris on Sunday. Wholesale Avalanche Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Online . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. http://www.wholesaleavalanchejerseys.com/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Cheap Avalanche Jerseys For Sale . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Wholesale Avalanche Jerseys Free Shipping . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. NEW YORK -- The Mets circled the bases in record fashion like the cartoon Gas-House Gorillas in front of Bugs Bunny, then handed fans the shirts off their backs.They hoped a 17-0 rout of the Phillies on a melancholy Sunday was not this seasons Citi Field finale.It really kind of sunk in today that it was the last regular-season homestand, pitcher Noah Syndergaard said. The clubhouse was like, we dont want it to be the last game we play here this season.On a difficult day filled with sadness following the death of Miami star pitcher Jose Fernandez, the Mets produced the largest shutout victory in their 55-season history and the teams highest-scoring game at Citi Field. Asdrubal Cabrera hit a seventh-inning grand slam, Jose Reyes had four RBI with a two-run double and a pair of bases-loaded walks, and Curtis Granderson reached 30 home runs for the first time since 2012.Even slumping Jay Bruce had his first multi-hit game since Sept. 4.New York moved one game ahead of San Francisco for the NLs top wild card, with St. Louis a half-game behind the Giants for the second spot, and fans chanted We want playoffs! in the ninth inning. Hoping for their first consecutive postseason appearances since 1999-2000, the Mets close with three games each at Miami and Philadelphia after finishing 44-37 at home.Injured second baseman Neil Walker expects success on the road.Hopefully spray some champagne, he said.New York improved to 23-11 on its stretch run with another pitching performance from a surprise fill-in. Robert Gsellman, a 26-year-old making his sixth big league start, allowed three hits over seven innings, struck out a career-best eight and walked two, leaving to a standing ovation. He also reached on a bunt single in the third for his first major league hit; Philadelphias defense was puzzling, given that Gsellman (3-2) has a torn left rotator cuff and cant swing.If the Mets reach the Division Series, the tattooed right-hander could get a start because of injuries to Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler. Gsellman made his big league debut on Aug. 23.It kind of came pretty fast, he said.New Yorks previous high for runs in a shutout was 14, against the Chicago Cubs in 1965 and Cincinnati in 1998. New York scored 25 unanswered runs after falling behind 10-0 in the fourth inning Saturday night.Wearing 1986 commemorative uniforms for perhaps the last time tthis year, the Mets batted with the bases loaded 11 times in 50 plate appearance.dddddddddddd Reyes came up with the bases full four straight times.We needed one of those, Mets manager Terry Collins said. Our bullpen was shot.In a matchup of rookie starters, Jake Thompson (3-6) allowed three runs and five hits in four innings, and the Mets abused Philadelphias bullpen for three runs in the fifth, five in the seventh and six in the eighth. Phillies relievers allowed 28 runs -- 27 earned -- over 17 innings in the four-game series.I dont think we got much length and then the bullpen came in and didnt do our jobs, said Frank Herrmann, who gave up Cabreras slam.James Loney hit a run-scoring double-play grounder in the second, and Granderson led off the fourth by driving a 0-2 changeup into the bullpen in right center. Granderson has just 56 RBI despite getting 30 homers for the fourth time -- with 10 in his last 23 games.Now the Mets head to Miami, where Fernandez will be honored before Mondays game against the Marlins. The All-Star died early Sunday in a boating accident off Miami Beach.Tomorrow is going to be a rough one for everybody, Collins said. Im sure theyre going to be all fired up to not only beat us, but in honor of Jose.HONORING FERNANDEZAt the suggestion of chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, Mets star Yoenis Cespedes taped a No. 16 jersey with Fernandezs name on a dugout wall. Like Fernandez, Cespedes defected from Cuba by boat.Thats not something that I would ever recommend to any ballplayer in Cuba, to maybe leave the way that we did, Cespedes said through a translator, but those who have I very much admire.HOMER HAPPYNew York hit a team-record 112 home runs at home and has 212 overall, also a franchise mark. Thirty-two of the homers were hit against Philadelphia.AT THE GATESundays crowd of 35,093 raised the Mets home attendance this season to 2,789,602, up from 2,569,753 last year and the highest since the club drew 3,154,262 during Citi Fields inaugural season in 2009.OUCHNew York set a team record when four batters were hit by pitches -- Cespedes, Rene Rivera, T.J. Rivera and Gavin Cecchini. Phillies pitchers also walked nine and threw three wild pitches.UP NEXTMets: RHP Bartolo Colon (14-7) starts Mondays trip opener. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '