With Alps behind him, Froome closing in on 4th win
French rider Warren Barguil triumphed on the Izoard's barren slopes, winning his second stage of the tour after he attacked with six kilometers (four miles) left to climb to the top. He also won Stage 13 on Bastille Day.
Barguil gradually reeled in riders ahead of him on the hairpin bends and steep road — the last being John Darwin Atapuma of Colombia, with about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) left to the finish, at an altitude of 2,360 meters (7,743 feet), amid deserts of scree.
He is now guaranteed to win the polka-dot jersey awarded for points collected during the Tour on climbs — an even more impressive feat considering he suffered a pelvis fracture in a crash in April and was struck by a car on a training ride last year, fracturing his wrist.
“I had a lot hard luck. Luck is now on my side,” he said. “I had big problems, but I never gave up.”
Froome's lead, while far smaller than at the same stage in the Tours he won in 2013, 2015 and 2016, is sufficient for him not to have to take unnecessary risks on the twisting and technical timetrial course in Marseille on Saturday. His Team Sky should also be strong enough to control the race on Friday's stage out of the Alps through Provence, which isn't tough enough to provoke a big shake-up in the standings. And Sunday's ride into Paris is traditionally a procession before only the sprinters contest victory at the end.
In short, Froome is 95 percent of the way there.
“I'm happy that I went through the Alps without any major problem,” the 32-year-old Froome said.
By beating Froome in a final sprint to finish third at the top of the Izoard, placing behind Barguil and Atapuma, Bardet clawed back four valuable bonus seconds. That moved him up to second overall, relegating Rigoberto Uran to third.
“I gave it all, I thought I was going to suffocate as I crossed the line,” Bardet said. “I have no regrets, I did everything I could.”