As defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome readies for his bid to win a third title, he knows that while everyone will be looking at his form on the bike, many are interested to see how he will be received by the crowd he races by every day for the next three weeks.If Froome didnt know it before Team Skys press conference on Thursday at the team hotel in Omaha Beach in Normandy, he was reminded of it and the incidents of last years race when urine was thrown in his face by some in the Tour crowd; he and his teammates were also booed, with one -- Richie Porte, now with BMC Racing -- being punched.Since Froome won his first of two Tours in 2013 -- the second being last year -- the Briton has faced constant questioning and speculation over his training and eventual performance.Over and over, Froome has replied to those who have asked in a bid to convince them of the legitimacy of his wins. Many have believed him, but his critics voice seemingly grew louder -- to the point where reaction intensified to the vile and extreme levels of last years race.So what reception does Froome expect from the Tour crowd this year after the race gets under way with the 188km first stage from Mont Saint Michel to Utah Beach on Saturday?Hopefully the same way we were received a couple of weeks ago back in the [Criterium du] Dauphiné [a race in France that he won] because there was a great atmosphere there, Froome replied softly and with a smile.The biggest race for us is the Tour de France.Its the biggest race of our calendar. We love being here and we love racing in France.Growing concern: Security and mechanical dopingFroome was equally reserved when asked of a greater fear than hecklers; that being concerns for safety throughout the Tour entourage due to terrorism.Security on the Tour been bolstered in response to the Paris terrorist attacks last November, with the addition of 23,000 extra police and gendarmes. And the elite special force, the GIGB (Groupe dintervention de la Gendarmerie nationale) that includes a counter-terrorism branch, has been appointed by the Interior Ministry to Tour duty for the first time.Asked if he had noticed the heightened security since arriving in Normandy for the Tour, Froome replied simply: We havent seen any additional personnel here or anything like that. Our focus is on the race. What you mentioned there is something happening behind the scenes. We didnt come here thinking about it our focus is on our race.Nevertheless, as doping and the new fears of terrorism that need being addressed, the increasingly international Tour de France and cycling more widely are likely to survive.Sure, sponsors have come and gone, but others have emerged; likewise teams.Similarly, champions have been lauded, then made pariahs for their cheating, only for new stars to emerge and take their place. That said, we must recognize that some riders will still always succumb to temptation despite the moves to address doping that have led many to believe cycling is now cleaner if not clean.Performance-enhancing drugs are not the only temptationMechanical doping, whereby motors are hidden in the bikes of riders, has been the subject of reports for several years, but the rumour was shown to be very real in April when a motor was found in the back-up bike of Belgian under-23 cyclo-cross rider Femke Van den Driessche at the world championships. She retired, but was been banned six years.The world governing body of cycling that banned Van den Driessche, the Union Cycliste Internationale, has since implemented regular bikes controls at myriad races, and officials says it has resources to carry out 4000 tests at the Tour de France. As part of a crackdown, high-powered thermal cameras using atomic research technology will also be used.The technology, created by the French research body into atomic energy -- the CEA -- detects heat produced by a small hidden motor, even when the motor is turned off.The cameras can be fitted by the road to monitor bikes as they pass, or on motorbikes or officials cars that overtake, riders. The UCI will also continue using its magnetic wave scanning system at Tour stage starts and finishes that uses a tablet and detects a motor, magnet or battery in a frame, or components; the system has been used since the start of the year.This problem is worse than doping, the French Secretary of State for Sports Thierry Braillard told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche on Sunday.The very future of cycling is hanging in the balance.So determined is Braillard to tackle mechanical doping that he plans to submit a law to parliament later this year that deems it as sporting fraud and punishable by law.Mark Cavendish: The Tour has just got harderIn the meantime, for those riders in the Tour, there is more than enough to consider ahead of the 2016 Tour that has been dubbed as having the hardest route in many years.Froome says his campaign to win a third Tour will be the toughest challenge of his career.Asked how the Tour had evolved, and its impact on him, he said: Since I have come in to the race realistically looking to fight for overall victory [it] has become much more of a climbers dominated race .... I just feel as if this year more than any other the level of competition is that much higher. I have got more rivals and the level of my rivals is that much stronger.Concurring with Froome, but from the other end of the field -- unless in a bunch sprint -- is fellow Briton Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data) who is about to race his 10th Tour.Asked how the Tour had changed, Cavendish said: It has just got harder, not harder as in like ... it is kinda taken out of context. If it is a hard profile, it doesnt necessarily make it a hard day.Flat stages can be the hardest stages in a Tour de France, especially with the mental stress. In 2008 there were 18 climbs [categorised two, one and above] in the whole Tour. Last year there were 18 in the last week. Every year it has gone up more.Cavendish said there were also more stages in the Tour to suit riders who may not be pure climbers but who are good on hillier days -- of which there are also more.And in the sprints stages that remain, Cavendish said overall contenders are increasingly getting in the fray to avoid crashes mid-field, even though it heightens congestion up front.Obviously the sprint opportunities are less ... pure bunch sprints, he said. It makes more people win, which is good for the sport, but it definitely changes our approach to the Tour.You dont go with a nine-man lead-out team to a Tour de France any more, unless you are happy with just a couple of stage wins. There are also more GC [general classification] contenders than there ever was, with teams built behind them. That makes it very difficult in sprints ... [when] you have GC guys and sprinters in a final, especially in a first day.Suffice to say, no matter how the Tour faces change -- no matter the means -- there is one constant: that being, the race remains one of sports toughest challenges of mind and body. Youth Greece Jerseys . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Authentic Soccer Greece Jerseys . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. http://www.cheapgreecejerseys.com/ . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Cheap Greece Soccer Jerseys .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Greece World Cup Jerseys . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. ESPN NRL expert Brett Kimmorley looks at round 23 and says it should make the finals picture a little clearer but hopes it isnt as a result of more controversial decisions from the bunker.1. Jarryd Haynes return home to CampbelltownI thought he was outstanding last week in his first game back and with all of the hype. Youd like to think theres going to be a sell-out crowd at Campbelltown on Saturday afternoon which adds to the air of excitement.I think a lot of people should appreciate how good an athlete he is and the fact hes back in the NRL and I think a lot of people will also want to see how well Mitchell Moses and James Tedesco are going.The game is also set up for a cracking game of football - whoever wins is a step closer to the semi-finals and it becomes sudden-death from then on for the team that loses.I still think 28 will get you into the finals - the Tigers are on 24 and the Titans on 23 but you can say whoever loses this game will need to win their next three.2.?The clashes involving the finals hopefuls.The Warriors have a chance to give their fans some hope and faith at home to Souths and the Canberra Raiders, if theyre able to beat the Melbourne Storm on Monday night, it will give them some reassurance and confidence.I think its amazing how open the competition still is in round 23. Through Origin we thought there were only a few sides that could win the premiership - we thought Melbourne, Cronulla and North Queensland were the only teams that could win it.ddddddddddddNow the Panthers are going great, the Warriors can be great on their day and of course the Raiders are showing us how good they are. If the Raiders are able to back up their win over the Sharks with a win against the Storm then it throws the competition wide open.On any given day, any team can win this competition. Traditionally the format is set up it so that only the top four teams can win the competition and no team below that has done it but this year we still have ten teams still in contention with four weeks to go.Its exciting and why cant those lower sides cause an upset when the finals are on as well?3. Brisbane could still miss the NRL finals.I still think Brisbane are a sneaky chance of missing the finals.Theyre on 26 points - they play Parramatta this week who are super resilient then two really hard games against Canterbury and Melbourne and they finish with the Roosters who beat them a few weeks ago.If they drop a game over the next two weeks all of a sudden a little bit of pressure starts to come onto a side we all thought were Grand Final certainties. Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Youth NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys ' ' '