VILLARS-LES-DOMBES, France -- Mark Cavendish approached the finish line with so much speed that German rival Marcel Kittel swerved out of the way.The Manx Missile easily sprinted to his fourth stage victory in the Tour de France on Saturday.I didnt see it, Cavendish said of the incident with Kittel. I was in front of him.Finishing in the main pack during the 14th stage, Chris Froome had little trouble holding onto the yellow jersey.Todays stage was quite welcome after the last few days of racing, Froome said. It was really nice to switch off a little bit and sit on the wheels inside the peloton.It was Cavendishs 30th career win in the Tour, putting him within four of Eddy Merckxs record. The British sprinter held up four fingers after crossing the line.Kittel threw up his arm in protest when Cavendish passed him.I saw Cavendish overtaking me and suddenly cornering me, Kittel said. I had to brake to avoid a crash. Its not for me to say if he made a mistake.Cavendish analyzed it only after watching the replay.We were next to the barriers and it was him coming off the barriers more than anything, Cavendish said.Alexander Kristoff, a Norwegian with Katusha, crossed second, and world champion Peter Sagan was third.Cavendish is just faster right now, Kristoff said.Kittel came fifth.Kittel had already lost and stopped his effort. He had lost his focus. Maybe Cavendish swerved a bit, but its nothing, retired sprinter Laurent Jalabert said.The peloton stopped for a minute of silence at the start of the stage in honor of the 84 victims of the truck attack in Nice. Froome, French champion Arthur Vichot, and other leaders of the Tour took their helmets off and stood still at the start line.It was the first of three days of national mourning in France, and fans waved the countrys flag all along the 208.5-kilometer (130-mile) route from Montelimar to the bird sanctuary of Parc des Oiseaux in Villars-Les-Dombes near Lyon.Cavendishs personal record for wins in one Tour was six in 2009. His performance in this race has come as somewhat of a surprise, considering that he has been slowed by injuries in recent seasons.But Cavendish seems rejuvenated after joining the South African squad Team Dimension Data for this season.Ive been a lot more patient than I was last year, Cavendish said.Froome remained 1:47 ahead of second-place Bauke Mollema and 2:45 in front of third-place Adam Yates in the overall standings.Four riders -- Martin Elmiger of Switzerland, Alex Howes of the United States, Jeremy Roy of France, and Cesare Benedetti of Italy -- formed an early breakaway and opened up an advantage of 4 1/2 minutes before falling apart in the final kilometers.Known as a transfer stage because it was a lengthy leg that moved the peloton from one region to another to set up the ensuing mountain tests, the route took riders by fields of grain and sunflowers amid winds exceeding 35 kph (22 mph).The stage started 15 minutes early because of concerns over a strong headwind and concluded with a three-kilometer straight directly into the wind.Matti Breschel, a Danish rider with Cannondale, crashed midway through the stage, and was reported to have broken his collarbone.The Tour enters the Alps on Sunday with a 160-kilometer (99-mile) leg from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz featuring six climbs, including the beyond-category Grand Colombier.It is a tricky stage, Froome said. I know the roads there. Its a stage that has probably been a bit underestimated because its not an uphill finish.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampfCheap Nike Shoes UK Online . 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. Cheap Shoes UK .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. http://www.discountukshoes.com/ . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Shoes UK Outlet . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Clearance Shoes UK Store .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio used the Kenny Powers got his pitch back defense in explaining what receiver Michael Crabtree was doing when he was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for his celebration Sunday.Crabtree had just hauled in a two-point conversion pass from Derek Carr to give the Raiders a 35-34 lead with 47 seconds to play when he flipped the ball in the air, made a gesture with his hand and in came the flag.Many assumed Crabtree made a throat-slash movement. Del Rio, though, saw it differently. He saw Crabtree doing what the fictional Powers did in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down when the former big league pitcher hit 101 mph on the radar gun.I mean, Im serious, Del Rio said. That gesture is what he was doing.Granted, in the show, Powers had just hit his rival in his left eye, knocking it out, with his pitch before wiping his pitching fingers under his nose, flicking them in disdain and uttering some words not fit for a family website.Ive actually showed that clip with our guys, about getting our pitch back and having the concentration, Del Rio continued. And thats what he was gesturing. It wasnt a throat slash. So, take a shot of that [scene], all right, and see what he did after the play and youll see thats what he was doing.ddddddddddddNow, maybe you cant do that move, either.Del Rio laughed nervously, especially since a 15-yard penalty could have given the Saints prime field position on the ensuing kickoff and all New Orleans needed to win was a field goal. But Sebastian Janikowski launched a deep kick and the Saints were able to attempt only a 61-yarder that was wide left as time expired.After the game, Crabtree admitted emotions were high because he came through on a fade pass in the end zone for the Raiders, after not being able to connect with Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers on three straight fades in Super Bowl XLVII.Last play, you know, ended bad [in the Super Bowl], Crabtree said. This time, the last play ended good.And the celebration?Man, it was just making a play and having fun, man, he said. Having fun out there today.It should be noted that the successful two-point conversion happened in the northwest end zone of the Superdome. Yes, westbound and up for a team trending that way. ' ' '