last six months of Van Gaals reign have been marred by intense criticism

FINHAUT-EMOSSON, Switzerland -- Ilnur Zakarin hardly had enough energy to zip up his jersey and celebrate upon winning one of the most grueling stages of the Tour de France.The Russian rider settled for a half-zip and a half left-fist pump instead, leaving the earpiece of his radio dangling from his bare chest, before two helpers pushed him toward the podium ceremony.We did a plan for the Tour de France, which was riding with no goals for two weeks, just to stay away from troubles. Then the goal was to peak during the third week to win a stage, Zakarin said after carrying out the plan to perfection.Zakarins daughter Kristina was born on the first day of the Tour and the most hes seen of her has come on Skype.Part of an early breakaway in the 17th stage on Wednesday -- the first of four legs in the Alps -- Zakarin caught up to Rafal Majka and Jarlinson Pantano at the beginning of the days final climb and then launched a furious attack with 6.5 kilometers to go.Zakarin rode the 184.5 kilometer (114.6-mile) route at an average speed of 40 kph (25 mph) -- 2 kph faster than organizers fastest estimate for the stage.It was his first career stage win on the Tour, having also won a stage in last years Giro dItalia.In this years Giro, Zakarin was in fifth place with two stages to go when he crashed on a high-speed descent and fractured his left collarbone.I was aiming for the final podium and to lose all of that in the last few days was very hard. So I began to think of the Tour, so perhaps I could win a stage here, Zakarin said through a translator.Zakarin was suspended in 2009 for two years after testing positive for the forbidden anabolic steroid methandienone.He had little to say about the possibility that the entire Russian team will be banned from next months Olympics in Rio de Janeiro over allegations of state-sponsored doping.Im not following the news. Im reading. Im watching movies to be away from all the stress that does not concern me, Zakarin said.There are reports that several positive cases involving Russian cyclists have been covered up.We are talking about scandals, the samples which probably belong to cycling, but nobody knows where the samples come from. Mens cycling? Mountain bike? Womens cycling? We dont know. Its just speculation, said Katusha team general manager Viacheslav Ekimov, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong on the U.S. Postal team.Since November last year, Zakarin has been tested 12 times out of competition, Ekimov added. All these tests have been conducted in European labs, in Paris, Lausanne. ... At Katusha, we perform additional testing, and follow all protocols.Tour leader Chris Froome was also unaware that the International Olympic Committee is examining the legal options of a blanket ban following a report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren that accused Russias sports ministry of overseeing doping of the countrys Olympic athletes.I havent seen that, Froome said, before complimenting Zakarin on his performance. That was a really tough stage, though ... That was a good ride.---AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Authentic Jerseys Cheap . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Wholesale Jerseys China . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. http://www.authenticwholesalejerseyscheap.com/ . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Authentic . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Wholesale Football Jerseys . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases.Jose Mourinho has the pedigree needed to deliver huge success to Manchester United, according to Jamie Carragher. The former Chelsea manager is widely expected to replace Louis van Gaal in the Old Trafford hot-seat just days after he won the FA Cup, after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday.Once appointed as Van Gaals successor, Mourinho - who has won league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain -will be tasked with bringing back the success and attacking flair synonymous with Sir Alex Fergusons 26-year tenure. And, while admitting the Portuguese may not necessarily be the perfect fit for the job, Sky Sports pundit Carragher is confident Mourinho would win trophies.Jose certainly has the name and the pedigree in terms of trophies and the success hes had - and thats what Manchester United want, he said.Is he the perfect fit in terms of what United would want going back through the years? Probably not in terms of blooding young players and the type of football. Manchester United fans outside Old Trafford today says they support the imminent arrival of former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho But hes managed Real Madrid, and their great attacking players like Cristiano Ronaldo, and won the league there so he is a good fit.dddddddddddd.I think hell bring them huge success because hes done that everywhere hes been.Despite ending a 12-year wait for FA Cup glory - Uniteds first major trophy since Fergusons retirement in 2013 - the last six months of Van Gaals reign have been marred by intense criticism and speculation surrounding his future. Jose Mourinho will bring Manchester United huge success because he’s done that everywhere he’s been. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher Carragher sympathised with the degree of scrutiny directed at the Dutchman, although he argued it was part and parcel of high-profile managerial roles.Its nice for Louis van Gaal personally to go out with a trophy, he has done that at most of his clubs, but United are obviously looking at bigger and better things, he added.They have to be in the top four and compete in the Champions League so its probably just right. Can Jose Mourinho bring success back to Old Trafford? Every manager who takes a big job is going to be under scrutiny, thats part of the job.Youre going to get people questioning you and hes used to that, hes an experienced manager.You can say you feel sorry for him at times but with him being sacked hell get a decent pay-off, so hell be all right. Also See: Did United progress under LVG? Jose will be rock and roll Man Utd sack Van Gaal Van Gaal leaves United LIVE! ' ' '