Froome rides to a fantastic fourth Tour de France win
Chris Froome put on a near-perfect performance to claim his fourth Tour de France and move within one title of cycling’s greatest yesterday.
The Briton suffered a few setbacks but was always in control thanks to an excellent effort by his Team Sky teammates, who sheltered him when it mattered, leaving him to make the difference in the time trials.
Sky have now won five of the past six titles and came close to placing two riders on the podium as Mikel Landa missed out on the top three by one second, according to provisional timings.
Froome is one title behind Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spain’s Miguel Indurain and the French duo of Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault in Tour wins, and he is the first to win three consecutive titles since Indurain, who prevailed from 1991-95.
Colombian Rigoberto Uran finished second overall, 54 seconds behind, and France’s Romain Bardet, runner-up last year, was third, two minutes, 20 seconds off the pace.
Yesterday’s largely processional 103-kilometre stage from Montgeron, where the first Tour started in 1903, to the Champs Elysees in Paris was won by Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen in a bunch sprint.
Froome suffered two mechanical problems at key points in the race but his rivals failed to take full advantage.
During Stage 9 they waited for him after Fabio Aru attacked near the top of the final climb, and a week later, his main rivals again failed to attack after the Briton broke a spoke in his rear wheel and found himself trailing by 45 seconds.
He was beaten in a brutal uphill finish in Peyragudes as Bardet won the stage.
Bardet, 26, and the other overall contenders were too weak in the time trials, however.
Froome was well aware of that and he took few risks, knowing he would settle the score on the penultimate day in Marseille.
French riders had a great Tour with five stage wins, including a double by Warren Barguil, who won the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification.
Australian Michael Matthews’s versatility earned him the green jersey for the points classification, helped by the fact that world champion Peter Sagan was kicked out of the race after elbowing Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish.
Britain’s Simon Yates won the white jersey for the best under-25 rider after finishing seventh overall, one year after his twin brother, Adam, achieved the same feat.