Meister der Farbe » at Charlotte. The trip ends Friday in

LIMOGES, France -- Hit by a virus, denied a place on the Tour de France and then parting company with his team, not much went right last season for German sprinter Marcel Kittel.Now hes back with a vengeance.Kittel claimed his ninth stage win at cyclings biggest race in a mass sprint on Tuesday, as the fourth leg of the Tour took the peloton from the medieval town of Saumur to Limoges in central France.For me the victory means a lot, because I know how hard my way back to this moment was, said Kittel, who was fighting back the tears at the podium ceremony.Kittel, who wore the race leaders yellow jersey in 2013 and 2014, joined the Etixx Quick Step team from Giant-Alpecin for this season, replacing the departing Mark Cavendish.The new partnership has been extremely successful so far. Kittel has been the dominant sprinter this year, claiming 11 victories including back-to-back stage wins at the Giro dItalia.At the Tour, he got off to a disappointing start, getting beaten by Cavendish in the opening stage and missing out on a chance to wear the yellow jersey. So when the German held off Frenchman Bryan Coquards surge in a photo finish in Limoges, it was a huge relief.Last year was a huge setback. But I tried to take action to make changes for my future and to be able to win stages again at the Tour, Kittel said. I live for my sport. I never did anything else -- contrary to what some critics said.Kittel began his final surge for the line a little too early for comfort. But he just managed to hang on and edge Coquard.I feel very emotional right now, it feels like my first stage win again, Kittel said. Im mega, mega happy. Im very proud, because the team was really fighting for this win. Things went wrong in the last days, and Im so happy to be back in the Tour and to win a stage like this.World champion Peter Sagan finished third on the 237.5-kilometer ride and kept the yellow jersey. Courtesy of a time bonus, he extended his lead over Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe to 12 seconds in the overall standings. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde is third, 14 seconds back.It was a very fast sprint, I started too early today, the same time as Marcel started, Sagan said. Coquard made a very nice sprint. He was patient and almost won.Coquards aggressive burst for the line almost paid off with his first stage win in cyclings showpiece event. He brushed shoulders with Kittel in the slightly uphill final stretch, but lost by a few millimeters.I think I belong with the greats now, Coquard said. There is no mistake in the sprints, the stronger wins. I was never as close to victory, but I havent won yet. Im young, but Im a winner... and I want to win this year on the Tour.After a first attack fizzled out soon after the start, a group of four riders managed to escape from the pack and build up a five-minute lead over the peloton.Tour debutants Oliver Naesen and Alexis Gougeard, alongside Markel Irizar and Andreas Schillinger, made their move near the 30-kilometer mark and quickly increased the gap, helped by a tail wind.Determined to defend Sagans yellow jersey, the Tinkoff team hit the front of the bunch to step up the pace in hot and sunny conditions. They organized the chase with sprint-specialist teams Lotto-Soudal and Etixx, and the gap was down to four minutes with 100 kilometers left.However, the pack was in no rush to rein in the breakaway riders on the winding roads of the lush green Limousin countryside.Gougeard was dropped from the leading group with 35 kilometers left, moments before the pursuit really started in the hilly finale to Limoges. The remaining trio was swallowed up during a short climb seven kilometers from the finish.On the eve of the first mountain stage, the races main favorites Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana enjoyed a quiet day. Froome, a two-time Tour champion, is in fifth position overall, 18 seconds behind Sagan. Quintana is seventh with the same time as Froome.Wednesdays Stage 5 features four difficult climbs including the second-category Pas de Peyrol, the highest road pass in the Massif Central with an average gradient of 8.1 percent. Cheap Custom High School Jerseys . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Custom High School Jerseys Sale . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. http://www.customjerseyshighschool.com/ . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. 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BOSTON -- Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford was impressed with what he saw from the San Antonio Spurs -- sans the retired Tim Duncan -- on Wednesday night in North Carolina.They have a guy who is an MVP candidate (Kawhi Leonard), Pau Gasol and Tony Parker who are probably Hall of Famers, (LaMarcus) Aldridge, who is a perennial All-Star and Danny Green who has been a starter on two championship teams, Clifford said after losing to the Spurs 119-114. Plus they have a guy (Gregg Popovich) who is maybe the best coach of our time -- except for all that theyre just OK.The Spurs, 8-0 on the road, 12-3 overall and winners of seven straight overall, visit the Boston Celtics in a Friday matinee that should cause people to interrupt looking for shopping bargains to watch.San Antonio comes to Boston having beaten the Celtics nine straight times since Boston swept the two-game 2010-11 season series.The Celtics are coming off a perfect 3-0 road trip, capped by Wednesday nights wire-to-wire win over the Nets in Brooklyn.For us to win three games in a row on the road and one of the games being a back-to-back, is big for us, Bostons Avery Bradley said Wednesday. I think it does a lot for our team, our confidence level.And not only that, but this might be our fourth game playing together as a team or fifth game with everybody, so Im happy with how were growing together every single game. Al (Horford)s playing well, Jae (Crowder)s playing well, everybodys just playing basketball.Both Horford (concussion) and Crowder (ankle) rejoined the team on this trip. And while defeating Detroit, Minnesota and Brooklyn on the road is hardly a reason to make plans for the NBA Finals, three road wins is three road wins -- and the Celtics are 9-6 coming into this game.ddddddddddddLeonard is truly playing like an MVP for the Spurs. He scored 30 at Charlotte and is averaging 25.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season. His time has come.The Spurs opened their current three-game trip with what Popovich called a pathetic 96-91 over the undermanned Mavericks in Dallas before winning at Charlotte. The trip ends Friday in Boston.The Celtics, having an early holiday feast, waltzed all over the woeful Nets Wednesday night. They built an early 17-point lead, blew and then recovered to cruise.I think we played very well, Marcus Smart said. We came out really aggressive. We closed out well. That little hiccup we had, but other than that everything else was great.Having their entire roster on the floor, and having the players finally get to grow together, makes the picture brighter for Brad Stevens team.There is more experience, more depth, more comfort to this team, Smart said. Everybody is ready to play now. Everybody is healthy. Like I said, everybody is clicking again.Now, if the Celtics can just figure out a way to end that long streak against the Spurs, perennial contenders in the NBA playoff picture ... the model franchise of the NBA, with or without the great Duncan. ' ' '