Three stages from the finish line

COL D’IZOARD, France On the highest mountaintop finish of the 104th Tour de France, in a rocky moonscape where the air thins, only the hardiest organisms survive. A few pine trees, tough old grasses, some stubborn flowers and, now joining that rare breed, Chris Froome.

Putting one hand on what would be his third straight Tour crown and fourth overall since his first win in 2013, Froome emerged from the Alps on Thursday with the yellow jersey fixed firmly on his shoulders. Having chewed his way through nearly 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) of French roads, just three stages now stand between the Briton and top spot on the ChampsElysees podium in Paris on Sunday night. And one of those is a time trial race against the clock, a discipline he excels in — having provided him with bronze medals at the Olympics of 2012 and 2016.

With opportunities to dethrone the three-time champion quickly running out, French rider Romain Bardet and his AG2R team again put pedal to the metal and tried to make Froome crack on the last huge climb of this Tour, piling on the pace up the punishing Col d’Izoard — the culmination of Thursday’s Stage 18 and one of the toughest tests in a three-week race that has produced surprises aplenty.

Froome was in no mood to be at the receiving end of another one.

Fending off Bardet’s attacks, and putting in a strong one of his own that initially rattled yet didn’t shake off the sturdy Frenchman, he preserved a cushion of 23 seconds overall that, unless disaster strikes in the shape of a crash or other misfortune, should be enough for victory.