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LA CAVERNE DU PONT-DARC, France -- Chris Froome and the other Tour de France leaders laid bouquets on the podium in a solemn ceremony.There were no kisses, and the usual podium celebrations.The publicity caravan which precedes the riders and blasts music, rode silently.A day after the deadly attack in Nice, Frances biggest sporting event was in mourning.Im not as satisfied as I would normally be. Cycling gets a little less important on a day like this, said Tom Dumoulin after winning the 13th stage time trial on Friday.Froome, second to the Dutch time trial specialist, was in a similar dark mood despite creating bigger gaps on all of his direct rivals with an impressive performance. Froome was the strongest of all the main contenders, and limited his time loss to Dumoulin to 63 seconds.He lead overall improved to 47 seconds on Dutch rider Bauke Mollema. Fellow Briton Adam Yates was third, 2:45 back. Froomes main rival in the mountains, Colombian climber Nairo Quintana, was lagging by 2:59, and the first alpine stage was not until Sunday.Our thoughts are with all the families affected down in Nice. Its where I do most of my training, said Froome, who wore a black armband to his news conference. It definitely puts things into perspective here.Amid reinforced security, the race rolled on and thousands of people lined the 37.5-kilometer (23-mile) route in Ardeche to celebrate the Tour and pay homage to the dozens killed and injured by a truck which drove through beachfront crowds celebrating Bastille Day.There was a minutes silence after the stage, as the yellow, green, and polka-dot jersey holders plus the stage winner gathered on the podium with bouquets.Its a very sad day, said Froome, who tweeted a picture of the French flag in the morning.Im affected by all the things that happened in France. My thoughts are with all the families affected by the attack. I want to express my solidarity with France.Froome attended the post-stage news conference with a black armband. He made only a brief statement after race organizers said he would not take questions about his performance on the bike.Its pretty clear today, said Froome, who lives near Nice in Monaco, everyones thoughts are with those affected down in Nice, and its difficult for us to be talking about the race. I do a lot of training on those roads and to see the Promenade (des Anglais) the way it was last night, with bodies all over the place, was just horrific. My deepest sympathies go out to the affected families.The attack, on Frances national holiday, did not deter fans from showing up in numbers at the starting line in the small town of Bourg-Saint-Andeol.We cant let our guard down, but it was important that they continued the race, said fan Bruno Pruvost after organizers had an emergency meeting with authorities. Otherwise, it would be too easy for them.There was also a moment of silence at the start, several hours drive from Nice, and Tour director Christian Prudhomme wore a black armband around his blue shirt.We want to pay homage to the victims with dignity, said Prudhomme, holding back tears. We have been asking ourselves if the race should continue and, after consulting with authorities, we have decided that it should. The Tour de France will continue in a subdued and solemn manner.The publicity caravan, which precedes the riders on the route every day handing out free gifts and souvenirs and blasting loud music, rode silently.Security had already been reinforced at the Tour this month, with France in a state of emergency since the Paris attacks last November. The three-week race is protected by an unprecedented force of 23,000 police officers, including SWAT-like intervention squads, while security guards perform bag checks and pat downs at the start and finish of every stage.Eric Luzet, the police liaison officer to the Tour, told The Associated Press that extra security measures were implemented overnight, with 600 police officers overseeing the stage.Mollema, who was involved in a crash with Froome inside the last kilometer on Mont Ventoux on Thursday, when a TV motorbike was forced to stop on the road because of fan congestion, said his thoughts are with the people in Nice.Froome was awarded the same time as Mollema, a decision that left Mollema unhappy. But the Dutch rider put his rivalry with Froome aside, and had a strong ride on the windy and narrow roads in the picturesque Gorges de lArdeche. Mollema was 1:54 behind Dumoulin, while Richie Porte, Tejay Van Garderen and Romain Bardet all lost ground to Froome.Van Garderen sits in sixth place, 3:19 back, with Porte 4:27 behind.---AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this report.Domantas Sabonis Jersey . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Alize Johnson Pacers Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. http://www.authenticbasketballshoppacers.info/aaron-holiday-pacers-jersey/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Myles Turner Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Domantas Sabonis Pacers Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama.Thierry Henry caught up with West Hams signing of the summer Dimitri Payet to discuss his stellar first season in the Premier League.The Hammers travel to the King Power Stadium on Super Sunday looking to halt Leicester Citys charge for the Premier League title.Ahead of the game, Payet sat down with his compatriot, and Sky Sports pundit, Henry to discuss life in the Premier League, free-kicks, his return to the France national team and his long-term aspirations. Read on to discover what one of the current stars of the Premier League had to say to one of the all-time greats in a wide-ranging interview...HENRY: Id like to know what attracted you to the Premier League? Sky Sports Thierry Henry catches up with West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet PAYET: I think it came from watching matches. When I was a Ligue 1 player and there were big games on, as they say here on a Sunday afternoon, you could see the stadiums and the atmosphere, it was amazing. I really wanted to experience it and thats exactly whats happening at the moment.HENRY: At the time (you signed for West Ham), I was surprised. With no disrespect to West Ham, of course, Id like to know if you had any offers from other clubs? Payet highlights his relationship with Slaven Bilic at Upton Park PAYET: Other clubs did get in contact, but it didnt go further than that. My choice was to come to West Ham, mainly because Id spoken to the manager. Speaking to the coach has been my number-one criterion at every club Ive played for to find out what he expects from me, how he will make me improve and that hell play me. Thierry Henry has praised Dimitri Payets performances for West Ham this season West Ham was the best choice for me on the back of my best season in Ligue 1. I dont think there was much room left for progress in Ligue 1. Id done almost everything there. Coming to England to play in a different league under a coach who already wanted me when he was at Besiktas... I understood that Id be an important player for him and a club like West Ham that, as you said, is not one of the biggest, was the best platform for me to continue my development. Mark Noble one of three players highlighted by Payet for their encouragement HENRY: At West Ham, I can see how the players look at you. They know perfectly well that you can make the difference and theyll defend for you. Are there any players like that who say such things to you?PAYET: Id say we have three of them here: (Cheikhou) Kouyate, (Angelo) Ogbonna, the centre-back, and (Mark) Noble. Strangely enough, its the guys who do the running. They run for you. Its strange, it puts pressure on me, but a positive type. I knoow that when he gives me the ball, he expects me to do something positive for the team.ddddddddddddThey relieve me of my defensive duties. Its a big statement of confidence for me and it shows they have faith in me.HENRY: Youve worked hard and youve made it back into the national team. How did it go with Didier (Deschamps), who I know well and I know what hes like? Dimitri Payet (L) joined up with the France squad for the recent friendlies with Russia and Netherlands PAYET: Yes, we explained a few things to each other. We hadnt seen each other or spoken in almost a year. We had a quick talk and he told me what he expected from me and thats what Im like. Im not speaking about being a starter or a substitute, but he at least made things clear. From that moment onwards, I felt good and in terms of the group, I was looked at differently because I was playing in the Premier League. What Ive been doing at West Ham didnt have the same impact as what I was doing at Marseille. I really felt that. HENRY: I have to speak to you about your free-kicks because you have your own technique. Did you have to work hard on it? Do you still work on it? Dimitri Payets exquisite free-kicks have been a trademark of his seamless adaptation to the Premier League PAYET: I worked on it, I worked on it until I scored the first one. When the first one went in, I stopped because I felt Id found the right technique. You already have the shot, its about the steps and the way you take it.As soon as I worked that out, I stopped and its been the same story since. Ive been taking two in training and before the match. Thats the difficulty with free-kicks as you get one, maybe two and thats why its tough. You have to score. Payet and Henry agree that once you have mastered the art of taking free-kicks, you should not over-practise them Im happy because free-kicks and set-pieces have become very important in football nowadays. Its another side to my game and Im happy about it.HENRY: What does the future hold for Dimitri Payet? Can you see yourself at West Ham in a year, two years or even three years? Are you here for the long term?PAYET: Yes, because I never could have imagined experiencing a year quite like this one. Things are going well and Im enjoying it. The team is good, we have a great coach and the fans are amazing, so I want to go far with this club because Im in this position thanks to them offering the best possible conditions for me to express myself on the pitch.Catch the full exclusive interview with Dimitri Payet, followed by live coverage of Leicester v West Ham, on Super Sunday, 12.30pm, Sky Sports 1 HDAlso See:Sky Live: Leicester v West HamWest Hams striker shortlistFantasy Six-A-SideMersons predictions ' ' '