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LE LIORAN, France -- The expected battle between Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana at the Tour de France has been put on hold for at least a couple of days.The leading contenders had a relatively quiet day in the races first medium mountain stage Wednesday, content to let Greg van Avermaet complete a successful solo attack and take the overall leaders yellow jersey. The Belgian rider is not in contention to finish top of the general classification, or GC, when the race ends in Paris.For us its just about winning the GC and Chris was comfortable. It was not really a day for the big GC guys, said Geraint Thomas, Froomes top support rider at Sky. Obviously some guys lost a bit of time but for Froomey it was just about staying at the front, staying calm and not losing any time to anybody.Two-time winner Alberto Contador and 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali both lost time over the demanding route through the Massif Central.Contador finished 33 seconds behind the other overall favorites while Nibali -- who won the Giro dItalia in May -- lost more than eight minutes, putting an end to his chances of overall victory.Its just a handful of seconds here, Thomas said. You cant write Contador off. Obviously its a bonus, but we certainly dont take anything for granted.Still, its looking more and more like a battle between Froome, the defending and two-time champion from Britain, and two-time runner-up Quintana from Colombia.Van Avermaet was part of an early nine-man breakaway and he methodically whittled down the group before accelerating past fellow Belgian Thomas De Gendt with 17 kilometers (10 miles) to go on the penultimate climb of the day.The 31-year-old Van Avermaet also won a stage in last years Tour and is known as a specialist at single-day classics and short stage races, having won Paris-Tours in 2011 and the Tirreno-Adriatico this year.Its special for me. Its the best jersey in the world. Its my first time and perhaps the last so I will enjoy every moment, Van Avermaet said. Its the best moment of my career. Winning a stage is already quite something but this takes it to another level.The 216-kilometer (134-mile) fifth stage from Limoges to Le Lioran featured five climbs in a constant up-and-down finish, including the 1,589-meter (5,213-foot) Pas de Peyrol.It was the first time that the Tour reached above 1,500 meters this early in the race since the leg-breaking start to the 1979 edition, which began with three stages in the Pyrenees over the first four days.Nibali was dropped on the Peyrol along with world champion Peter Sagan, who was wearing the yellow jersey for a third day.Sagan still has the green points jersey but he fell to 76th overall, more than 23 minutes behind.I dont care about it. Cest la vie, Sagan said, using a French phrase that translates to Thats life.De Gendt finished second in the stage, 2:35 behind and Rafal Majka of Poland, the 2014 King of the Mountains, crossed third, 5:04 back.In the overall standings, Van Avermaet holds a lead of 5:11 over rising French rider Julian Alaphilippe, with Spanish veteran Alejandro Valverde third, 5:13 behind.Froome is fifth, 5:17 behind, and Quintana is seventh with the same time.Contador, who fell twice in each of the opening two stages, is 25th, 6:38 back.I knew it would be hard, Contador said. The two crashes really hurt. Im still aching. Its not easy to recover. But Im hanging in there.Van Avermaet does not consider himself a threat for the overall title. He plans to support BMC captains Tejay van Garderen and Richie Porte in the Pyrenees and Alps.Its good to have good morale in the team and to take the pressure off, Van Avermaet said. The main goal for us is having Tejay or Richie on the podium in Paris.On a sunny and pleasant day with the temperature at about 20 degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit), fans -- many of them wearing polka-dot King of the Mountains jerseys -- lined the road in large numbers leading up to the Le Lioran ski resort.The most important thing was not crashing, because the descents were tricky and the pavement was melting, Van Avermaet said. It was good to stay concentrated and enjoy the last kilometer. Its kind of strange because Im a sprinter and usually you cannot enjoy the finish so much.Stage 6 Thursday is a flatter 190.5-kilometer (118-mile) leg from Arpajon-sur-Cere to Montauban. The next mountain stages come this weekend in the Pyrenees, although the Tour may not be decided until the race reaches the Alps in the third week.---AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Justin Tucker Youth Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Justice Hill Jersey . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. http://www.ravensrookiestore.com/Ravens-Ben-Powers-Jersey/ . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Joe Flacco Ravens Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Lamar Jackson Womens Jersey . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. She may have crashed out on day one of competition in Rio, but Victorian table tennis player Melissa Tapper made history.The 26-year-old, who was born with nerve damage in her right arm, became the first Australian to compete at both an Olympics and Paralympics.So losing 4-2 to Brazils Caroline Kumahara in the womens singles preliminary round on Saturday was still a sweet moment.It took me 16 years to get here.... Its something Ill remember forever, Tapper said.The 2012 Paralympian said she enjoyed trying to win over the home crowd, but got emotional when she saw her dad and father-in-law up in the stands.I probably got a bit teary when I looked up there, Tapper said.The Olympic debutant, who is ranked 341st in the world, put up a good fight against Kumahara, forcing the No. 120 ranked player into a sixth set with several tight rallies.The 2014 Commonwealth Games medallist said shes overcome many setbacks to get to this point.My arm plays a big role in having to work a bit harder, she said.Im a countrry girl, so I had to make a commitment to move to the city to be able to train, leaving behind friends and family.ddddddddddddWhile she doesnt see herself as a role model, Tapper said its a bonus if she inspires other athletes to push themselves further.Shell next play alongside veteran Jian Fang Lay and fellow first-timer Sally Zhang when the womens teams event kicks off next Friday.Theyll face heavyweights North Korea first up.After that, Tapper will again don the green and gold for the Paralympics in September.When I turn up to the Paralympics Im going to fight just as hard as I did in that last match, she said.Veteran Fang Lay was the only Australian contender to progress to the second round, where she overcame Austrian Sofia Polcanova 4-2.Dave Powell went out in straight sets against Paraguays Marcelo Aguirre and Chris Yan succumbed to Aleksandar Karakesevic of Russia. 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