Froome grateful to be leading as ‘hardest-fought’ Tour nears an end

• The battle for victory will go down to the wire at the Tour de France.

With just six stages left before the three- week race reaches the Champs- Elysees, only 29 seconds separate the top four riders in the general classification.

Defending champion and threetime winner Chris Froome has an 18- second lead over Fabio Aru of Italy. Frenchman Romain Bardet, the runner- up last year, is third, 23 seconds behind the leader. In fourth is Colombian Rigoberto Uran.

It’s an unusual situation ahead of an intense final week of racing that includes two Alpine stages in high altitude and a short time trial.

“It’s the hardest-fought battle in terms of Tours de France I’ve done before,” Froome said during Monday’s rest day. “I’m just grateful I’m on the right side of those gaps.”

Froome has the strongest team and remains the favourite to win in Paris, despite some rare signs of weakness.

He endured a bad day in the Pyrenees during a gruelling stage to the ski station of Peyragudes, when he lost the overall lead to Aru after wearing the race leader’s yellow jersey for seven days. But the Team Sky leader recovered in style two days later, when Aru was trapped at the back of the peloton in Rodez.

Froome’s main asset in the final stretch will be the strength of his teammates. Expect them to ride at the front in the mountains and to set a punishingly fast tempo — all designed to prevent others from attacking. If Froome is in form, he will be untouchable.

The collective strength of the Sky Team was on display Sunday when Froome was forced to change his rear wheel in the final 40 kilometres and got dropped.

“I was just standing there on the side of the road with my teammate Michal Kwiatkowski, trying to change wheels. I thought it was potentially game over for me,” Froome said.

But Kwiatkowski quickly handed over his wheel and Froome was helped back to the front by teammates Sergio Henao, Vasil Kiryienka and Mikel Nieve, erasing a 45-second gap.