Throughout the Tour de France, Australian professional cyclist Richie Porte will be checking in. Here is his latest entry, as told to ESPN contributor Rupert Guinness:Saturday: Stage 8, Pau to Bagnères-de-LuchonRacing a Grand Tour is so hard, but it ramps up when you get into racing a block of mountain stages like what we are in right now with Stages 7, 8, and 9 in the Pyrénées.We are now two of three days down, and the hardest of them is Sunday. Ive said it before, and now I really believe it: the 184.5km stage from Vielha DAran in Spain to Andorra Arcalis should be one of the hardest of this years Tour. On paper it certainly is.Saying that, Saturdays eighth stage, also over 184.5km but from Pau to Bagnéres-de-Luchon, was really tough. It was interesting to hear that Chris Froome (Sky) said it was one of the hardest hes raced in a while -- and he won it, not to mention took the yellow jersey.It was a stinker when it came to the heat. There is no other way to describe it. But at BMC, we were happy with how it panned out. Sure, it would have been nice to win the stage, but I felt good and so did Tejay van Garderen. It was also great to see Damiano Caruso riding so strongly. He is really crucial for us in these stages and he is really making a difference.But one challenge that no one else can really make easier for us is how we look after ourselves during a days racing and in between, and that is not as easy as you may think.We have a great staff on the team who help us be as ready as we can be for another stage. But there is a quick turnaround for a rider between one stage and another, and there is a responsibility to make sure you eat well - and enough - and also continue to rehydrate. That responsibility becomes greater when you are racing back-to-back mountain stages.What makes everything so much harder in the Tour is the size of the event: from the number of people to the logistics of fitting so many people into one region and more. It all makes for delays that can make your day as a rider in the race so much longer. In this years Tour, the transfers have not been the easiest; we do get stuck in traffic quite a lot.As a rider every hour of recovery helps. You eat on the bus. You are eating as much as you can in a day ... and from as soon as you get off the bike. Trust me, its not that easy. Like today, for Stage 8 ... I began by eating my usual breakfast: an omelette with prosciutto and avocado and a couple of coffees. Then, during the stage, I drank at least eight bidons [plastic bottles] of about 600 millilitres each, and ate 10 rice bars and four energy gels ... thats a lot of calories. But I burnt 4,600 calories.Then, when I was up for the anti-doping control, our team doctor who was with me said I needed to rehydrate when I thought all I had been doing all day was eating and drinking. But I certainly took his advice: by the time settled in to the hotel I had drank two litres.Im grateful I get to go back to the hotel in a car, but when you arrive at the hotel the day does not end there. Again, it is about recovery: you get on the table to be treated by the physiotherapist and then you have a massage. By the time you have dinner, which often includes more rice (I prefer pasta, but rice seems to more effective for me), its 8:30-9 p.m.After telephoning my wife Gemma for a chat, I watch a bit of television, or maybe I just sort of look at the screen in a kind of daze, Im so tired. Then it lights out at 10:30 p.m.Then, we do it all again the next day. At the Tour, thats times 21, or 23, if you include two rest days. The first rest day this year falls on Monday, and Im sure many will welcome it. Austin Bryant Lions Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Matthew Stafford Lions Jersey . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. http://www.lionsfanspro.com/Black-Kenny-Golladay-Lions-Jersey.html?cat=929 . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Marvin Jones Jr Lions Jersey . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Jarrad Davis Youth Jersey . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. More than 700 people gathered this weekend at the Las Vegas Convention Centers Evolution Championship Series to compete in the franchise that was responsible for the creation of the ESRB rating system: Mortal Kombat. The top eight out of the 700 who make it through the competition will compete at the series debut at Mandalay Bay.One player who has made it to the top eight, the one who continually impressed spectators over the past few months: Texas resident Brad Scar Vaughn. Scar, known for his proficiency on Sonya Blade, has come close to winning it all before, taking second at Community Effort Orlando 2016 last June. He has come a long way -- and he wants to win more than ever.Going into this EVO, I feel like Im the strongest Ive ever been, he said. In the past games, going into EVO, I havent been as strong as I have been recently. Making second at KIT, doing good at ESL, and coming here, being in the position Im in with Sonya Blade, the game plan I have now, and the changes Ive been making while playing the character, I feel like I have a really good shot, more than ever to take this tournament.Each time hes tried, hes had one obstacle in his way: Dominique Sonic Fox McLean, inarguably Mortal Kombat Xs best player. Sonic Fox has taken every major tournament within the last year, including Evo 2015 a year ago. Scar came close at CEO, but was unable to close out the series despite having a 2-1 lead early on.I feel like since Sonic Fox is the best player in the world, then you have A F0xy Grampa who also gives me trouble, but outside of that, were looked at as the top three players in Mortal Kombat X right now, he explained. So I feel like when it comes to those two guys and as well as them going against me, it could go either way... Sonic is my main goal because when it comes to tournament, as far as offline, I have yet to secure a match win against him. Going to this tournament, if I do face him, then hopefully I can bring it out.Scar made it to the Mandalay Bay for Sundays top eight, and unlike many esports players, he said he doesnt suffer from tournament nerves once he gets his first match of the day out of the way.I feel like theres no difference than any other tournament, he explained on his mindset of playing at such a big event. So it doesnt matter how many people are watching me play, even though its probably the biggest stage Ive ever played on [if I make it.] Ill treat it just as the resst of the tournaments Ive competed in.ddddddddddddWhen asked about characters outside of Smoke and Sonya, Scar said Ive actually wanted to dive into Mileena. Ive talked to a well-known player by the name of Sawface, whos a well-known Mileena player, and he played all three variations. I originally wanted to come to EVO with that character in my pocket... I wanted to use that character and she already has really good tools.But despite being one of the best in Mortal Kombat X, Scar, alongside many of his peers, is looking forward to a new game that releases in 2017, Injustice 2. That game, developed by the creator of Mortal Kombat, NetherRealm, features DC Comics characters, the likes of Batman, Superman, The Flash, Supergirl and Wonder Woman.And one problem that Mortal Kombat has always encountered is its gore and graphic violence and how that translates to the mainstream viewer. This often keeps people away from the game. For players and fans, its not big deal, but outside the bubble, it keeps people away.Scar said he hopes that Injustice 2 can fix that, and brings together new players, companies and teams into the NetherRealm-centric community. He believes most Mortal Kombat players will play Injustice, and hopes that the game succeeds.I think [Mortal Kombat] has kind of pushed into the mainstream because I know with Mortal Kombat 9, there was very little money in it like MKX has now, he said. The blood and gore is always gonna be a little iffy with some of the top sponsors and stuff like that, and the world named companies. But I feel like thats gonna change with Injustice 2 and I feel like Injustice is gonna be that game that allows big companies and sponsors to gravitate towards it.He says that giving fans the ability to relate to their favorite superheroes will play a big part in pushing Injustice 2 forward, in his opinion.Everyone loves their superhero characters, everyone is familiar with Batman and Superman, Scar explained. Theres not gonna be much gore in this game, if any, and people can identify their best players with the characters in the game. Everyone wants to be the best Batman, the best Superman, the best Flash. I feel like that game is gonna naturally let big companies and sponsors pour more money than they would into MKX because of the blood and gore. ' ' '