SAINT-LO, France -- The landing beaches. The war cemeteries. The museums. The first towns that were liberated more than 70 years ago.The D-Day and World War II history that is embedded in the culture of Normandy is earning extra spotlight this weekend when the Tour de France opens with two stages in the region.Saturdays opening leg starts at Mont-Saint-Michel, a World Heritage Benedictine abbey perched on a rock off the coast, and ends at Utah Beach, one of the key landing sites for Allied troops on June 6, 1944.The first stage also passes through Sainte-Mere-Eglise, where American paratrooper John Steele dangled from a clock tower after his parachute got caught during the invasion, and survived. The town is now home to the Airborne Museum.Stage 2 on Sunday finishes in Cherbourg-En-Cotentin, site of the Battle of Cherbourg.Tejay van Garderen, the BMC rider who represents the United States best hope for overall victory in the Tour, was wide eyed as he took a look around this week.It really puts into perspective what were doing here, Van Garderen said on Friday. We always say that were soldiers going to war and then you see the real soldiers and youre like, `OK, maybe this is just bike racing.Teams were driven into the official team presentation in Sainte-Mere-Eglise on WWII-era jeeps and trucks on Thursday.I like the way organizers and the local people here have put together the appropriate historical reminders, that teams have been accompanied on the jeeps by the local people in costumes, said Brian Cookson, the British president of the International Cycling Union.A legacy of the war was freedom, underlined by the diversity of the Tour teams.Van Garderen, who was in third place when he had to abandon last years Tour in tears due to illness four stages from the end, shares the BMC leadership with Australian standout Richie Porte. They are backed by riders from Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Belgium.Were such an international team, Van Garderen said. It shows that the world has come a long way.The favorites for overall victory in the three-week race are two-time winner Chris Froome of Britain, two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia, and two-time champion Alberto Contador of Spain.After Saturdays stage, a group of American, British, Canadian, French, and German riders will lay white roses in front of Utah Beachs Peace Monument to commemorate the Allied landings.We will celebrate cycling as a peace symbol, Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. The only thing that prevented the Tour de France taking place was world war, twice.Started in 1903, the Tour is beginning its 103rd edition. The only years it wasnt held came from 1915-18 and 1940-46.French rider Thomas Voeckler, whose grandfather fought during WWII, volunteered to take part in the ceremony, along with German sprinting standout Andre Greipel and Van Garderen.Amael Moinard, a French member of BMC, was born in Cherbourg and knows all about D-Day.Growing up here, Ive been into it from an early age because all our school trips were related to D-Day commemorations: Utah Beach, the Sainte-Mere-Eglise museum, the Caen memorial, Moinard said. Then the 50th D-Day anniversary was something big for me, with all the presidents from countries across the world coming to Normandy. Its nice to start here.Like the paratroopers before him, Moinard has a deep understanding of the winds in La Manche, as this area of Normandy is called. The way he sees it, the seven kilometers (four miles) of exposed road along the coast with 30 kilometers to go in the opening stage will evoke more fear about the wind -- which has the potential to split the peloton in two -- than the wind itself.As soon as you see the sea on the map each rider will say, `Its going to be windy, tricky, Moinard explained. Its going to make everybody nervous, and for sure a crash will happen. So all of the leaders and sprinters will want to be in the front.But then we take a much more protected road for the last 25K, Moinard added. So its more telling them, `Just be relaxed. Everything is going to be OK, hopefully.---AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Bill Barber Jersey . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Carter Hart Flyers Jersey .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. 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The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. George Groves moved closer to a fourth shot at a world title after earning a unanimous decision victory over Eduard Gutknecht at Wembleys SSE Arena.The 28-year-old provided the latest demonstration he has rediscovered his finest form when securing his fourth win of 2016 via scores of 119-110, 119-109 and 119-109 on the three judges scorecards.Victory leaves him in contention to challenge for the vacant WBA super-middleweight title early next year. He has lost each of his previous three world-title fights but his latest performance suggested he has the momentum required to finally succeed.As early as the opening bell, the 34-year-old Gutknecht - born in Kazakhstan but who fights out of Germany - sprinted to Groves and landed a right hand before receiving a counter.For much of the opening rounds each maintained a high work-rate while being hittable, but Gutknechts ability to close the distance restricted the power in Groves punches.Gutknecht is known for an amateur victory over the feared Gennady Golovkin without threatening such a level as a professional.He took numerous big rights from Groves in the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds, displaying good resistance even if it suggested he was being worn down.Already clearly behind on the scorecards, another intense assault in the ninth saw a significant cut open by his swollen left eye that further reduced his chances of going the distance.Impressively, he instead succeeded in taking further punishment as the aggressive Groves continued to land with powerful combinations and counters, surviving to the finnal bell and inevitably dropping the decision.ddddddddddddThe victory also means Groves has four wins from four since appointing Shane McGuigan as his new trainer after fighting under Paddy Fitzpatrick for the last time last year when losing to WBC champion Badou Jack.Defeat by Jack had followed two further unconvincing performances after he had impressed despite losing twice to Carl Froch, but succeeding in finally winning a world title next year could prove exceptional timing.Long-term rival and IBF champion James DeGale faces Jack in the unification fight in January that will establish the 168lb-divisions leading fighter.Should DeGale and Groves continue to win, a rematch six years after their first professional fight would become one of the biggest British match-ups that could be made in 2017.There was earlier a surprise defeat for Northern Irish middleweight Conrad Cummings, who lost a split decision via scores of 96-94, 96-94 and 94-96 to Germanys Ronny Mittag.The loss was the first of Cummings career, and also the first ever as a professional trainer for McGuigan, whose reputation has grown since Groves and David Haye joined Carl Frampton among his stable of fighters.Also on the undercard, 2012 Olympian Andrew Selby secured his seventh win from seven by stopping Jake Bornea of the Philippines in the seventh round.After the fight, Gutknecht fell ill in his changing room and was taken out on a stretcher to hospital. 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