Froome wins his 4th title

PARIS - Riding a bright yellow bike to match his shiny leader’s jersey, defending champion Chris Froome won his fourth and most challenging Tour de France title on Sunday.

The 32-year-old Kenyan-born British rider finished 54 seconds ahead of Colombian Rigoberto Uran overall, the smallest margin of his wins.

This was the third straight win for the Team Sky rider. His first in 2013 came the year after former teammate Bradley Wiggins sparked off an era of British dominance.

“This Tour has been my toughest yet,” Froome said.

Frenchman Romain Bardet, runner-up last year, placed third this time, 2 minutes 20 seconds behind, denying Spaniard Mikel Landa — Froome’s teammate — a podium spot by just one second. Italian Fabio Aru finished fifth.

Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen won the final stage in a dash to the line, edging German rider Andre Greipel and Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen.

Moments later, Froome and the rest of the peloton crossed the line after eight laps of an eye-catching circuit around the city’s landmarks, finishing as usual on the famed Champs-Elysees.

Froome now needs only one more title to match the Tour record of five shared by Jacques Anquetil, Eddie Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain.

“It’s a huge honor to be talked about in the same sentence,” Froome said.

Froome sealed his win on Saturday, finishing third in the time trial in Marseille.

Barring a crash, Froome was virtually assured of winning. The route to another victory continued to unfurl before him without mishap — although he did have to change bikes at one stage.