HARROGATE, England -- Marcel Kittel of Germany won the first stage of the Tour de France for a second straight year after a late

HARROGATE, England -- Marcel Kittel of Germany won the first stage of the Tour de France for a second straight year after a late crash brought down British rival Mark Cavendish in the presence of royals on Saturday. Alexander Mattison Jersey . Kittel, who earned four Tour stages last year, won the 190.5-kilometre (118-mile) run in mainly bucolic Yorkshire countryside from Leeds to Harrogate. The German raised his arms skyward and cried after he edged Peter Sagan of Slovakia in second, and Ramunas Navardauskas of Lithuania in third. "I am incredibly proud of this victory," Kittel, a Team Giant-Shimano rider who also won two Giro dItalia stages in May, said through a translator. "It happened pretty easily. It was like coming out of a tunnel. I was able to accelerate like never before. "Its really awesome. Deja vu, yeah." Christian Meier of Langley, B.C., was the top Canadian, finishing 141st in 4:44:07, while Svein Tuft, also from Langley, placed 163rd in the same peloton. The two favourites for victory in the three-week race, Alberto Contador and Chris Froome, finished safely in the trailing pack that clocked the same time as Kittel. With fewer than 400 metres to go, and the speedsters rushing ahead, Cavendish veered slightly to his left, tilted his head and bumped into Australias Simon Gerrans. The two crashed alone, with Cavendish landing hard on his right shoulder. Cavendish got up gingerly and cruised over the finish line -- cradling his right arm. X-rays revealed he separated his right shoulder, a Tour statement said. Omega Pharma QuickStep said in a separate statement that a decision about whether he will continue the race will be made on Sunday morning. "Im gutted about the crash today," Cavendish said in the statement. "It was my fault. Ill personally apologize to Simon Gerrans as soon as I get the chance. In reality, I tried to find a gap that wasnt really there. I wanted to win today." Many British fans were hoping for a win by Cavendish, a native of the Isle of Man, whose mother is from Harrogate. Prime Minister David Cameron, Princes William and Harry, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, were on hand among throngs of British fans who lined the route -- a testament to the cycling craze in the U.K. England hosts the first three stages of this 101st Tour before riders enter France on Tuesday. In all, the 198 riders are to cover 3,664 kilometres (2,277 miles) of road before the July 27 finish in Paris. Stage 2 on Sunday covers 201 kilometres from York to Sheffield, in southern Yorkshire. Cavendish previously said that winning the first Tour stage was his main goal this year. He was hoping to capture his first yellow jersey and his 26th Tour stage win. "Its sad because he (Cavendish) was racing in front of the home country," Sagan said. Added Kittel: "I hope he gets well soon. Im looking forward to seeing him on the race tomorrow ... its not nice to have Mark crash. Nobody wants that." A second German excelled on the English roads: Veteran Jens Voigt took the polka-dot jersey as the races best climber, after getting out early on a three-man breakaway that first cleared three low-grade hills including Buttertubs pass. At 42, the Trek Factory Racing rider is the oldest competitor this year: This is his 17th Tour, equaling the record. The nervous first day included more mishaps. Untold tens of thousands of fans turned out in such big numbers that a train service shuttle between the start and finish towns was crammed, and some had to wait for 90 minutes or even longer to get aboard -- or gave up altogether. Yorkshire, the largest county in England, has paid richly for the right to host the Tour. The peloton sped by abbeys in ruins and sights like 14th century Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, before finishing in Harrogate, known for its spas. Nearly three dozen countries are represented at this Tour, led by France with 44 riders. 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So naturally, in an attempt to come up with a fresh topic about the Ottawa Senators, I am going to start with a piece about their goaltending.Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Stephen Curry had 16 points and 10 assists as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Detroit Pistons 104-93 on Sunday afternoon. Draymond Green posted 20 points and six rebounds, while Klay Thompson added 15 points for the Warriors, who have won their last nine games, finishing up a perfect five-game road trip. Its showing the character of this team to keep winning games that are obviously tough considering the situation, Curry said. Were happy to have done so well on the trip going home. Brandon Jennings tallied 22 points and six helpers, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope netted 23 points and Greg Monroe supplied 13 points and 10 boards for Detroit, which has dropped eight in a row. Weve got a real problem scoring in the paint and even closer, said Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. I dont have an answer to that. The Pistoons raced out to an 18-10 advantage before a 10-2 Golden State run tied the game at 20-20. Dru Samia Vikings Jersey. Detroit led 24-21 following a quarter of play, but Marreese Speights scored the first four points and Shaun Livingston netted the final four during a 13-3 surge to begin the second. Two Livingston free throws staked Detroit to a 34-27 cushion. Golden State closed the opening half on a 10-1 swing, with Greens floater at the horn extending its lead to 53-40 heading into the locker room. The Warriors led by as many as 22 in the third and took an 82-71 spread into the fourth, where they cruised to the easy victory. Game Notes Golden State shot 46.8 percent (37-of-79) from the floor, while Detroit finished 36.3 percent (33-of-91) from the field ... The Warriors held a 46-32 points in the paint advantage. ' ' '