Froome on course for Paris glory
CHRIS FROOME is set to win the 2016 Tour de France today after Spaniard Jon Izaguirre won yesterday’s 20th stage to Morzine.
Team Sky’s Froome safely negotiated the treacherous, wet descent off the Col de Joux Plane alongside his rivals to lead by four minutes and five seconds over Frenchman Romain Bardet ahead of today’s parade into Paris.
Much of the penultimate stage was played out in heavy rain but Froome, who crashed on Friday’s stage to SaintGervais Mont Blanc, was able to avoid late drama after dominating this Tour.
Froome will become only the eighth man, not including the disgraced Lance Armstrong, to win three or more Tours after his victories in 2013 and 2015, and is the first to defend the Tour title since Miguel Indurain in 1995.
He will join Philippe Thys, Louison Bobet and Greg LeMond on three titles, and will now have eyes on fivetime winners Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Indurain.
Izaguirre was the last survivor of what had been a 37-man breakaway earlier in the day, racing clear of Vincenzo Nibali and Jarlinson Pantano on the sodden descent to take his first Tour de France stage win.