Chris Froome secures fourth Tour de France title as he finishes third in epic Marseille time trial

Cycling - Tour de France

Chris Froome could not quite manage to defy the crowds in Marseille's Stade Velodrome who booed as he rolled off the start by winning the stage but surely as walking off with the yellow jersey for another year is all the comfort he needs.

Ahead of the ceremonial final stage into Paris on Sunday Froome was not going to give up the vice-like grip he has had on the race since taking back the Maillot Jaune on stage 14. The Team Sky rider stormed around the 22.5 kilometre course to extend his overall lead to 54 seconds and almost caught Romain Bardet in front of him on the run into the Stade Velodrome grandstand finish.

Bora Hansgrohe's Macjiej Bodnar won the stage with a time of 28min 15 secs, with Froome finishing just six seconds slower for third place on the day.

With Sunday's traditionally a procession, Froome will be able to celebrate on the roads into the capital as he lead grew to 54 seconds over former team-mate Rigoberto Uran.

Frenchman Bardet began the stage second, 23 seconds down, but faded badly and only retained a podium spot by one second ahead of Team Sky's Mikel Landa.

'Amazing feeling, absolutely amazing feeling to finish that off now,' Froome said on his latest Tour win as he spoke to Eurosport post-stage. ' There was a lot of pressure coming into the stage with it being so close still on the general classification.

Despite the boos, Froome was gracious.

'It was an amazing atmosphere here in Marseille and a really fitting way to end the battle for the GC of this year's Tour de France, which was always going to such a close-fought thing.

'I think it was normal with a Frenchman in second place behind me on the start line, racing in Marseille and finishing in a football stadium. Certainly I have no complaints.'

Bodnar, who was cruelly denied victory out of a breakaway on stage 11, won by just one second from his compatriot Michal Kwiatkowski, who pipped the Bora rider in their national time trial championship.

Froome's third place on the day means he is only the seventh man in history to win the Tour without picking up a stage victory on the way. 'It's a three-week race and we rode it as such,' he commented on the fact.

The 32-year-old would have known as he rounded the final bend into the stadium that at that point his fourth Tour, and third in a row, was in the bag as Colombian Uran had, moments before, run wide on one of the final corners, touching the barriers and losing all momentum.

The Cannondale-Drapac rider recovered to take eighth place on the day, which sees him move up to second overall - matching his previous best in a grand tour as he was second in the Giro d'Italia in both 2013 and 2014.

The ride into Paris will be Froome's 59th day in the Tour yellow jersey on Sunday, one behind Miguel Indurain's record.

Froome's margin of victory will be the closest of his four to date, tighter than the 72 seconds by which he won from Nairo Quintana in 2015, having fallen ill late in the Tour and seen his lead whittled down in the Alps.

Last year Froome won by four minutes and five seconds from Bardet. The margin of victory will not bother Froome, who has had develop thick skin in his four Tour wins. He is now just one title behind the all-time record jointly held by Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Indurain.

Birmingham-born Quick-Step Floors rider Dan Martin finished in 40th place, enough for sixth place in the general classification - his best ever finish in the Tour de France. Bury's Simon Yates hung on to seventh place overall, securing the young riders' white jersey which was won by his twin brother and Orica-Scott teammate Adam 12 months ago.

Bodnar set the benchmark early, having been 52nd of the ramp with 167 riders left in the Tour.

When Kwiatkowski went within a second, Froome was watching on from the Sky team car to gauge the best way to attack the course, largely flat except for the short, steep climb up to Notre-Dame de la Garde.

But Froome was able to enjoy the final metres, as he could be seen chasing down the struggling Bardet on the straight towards the Stade Velodrome, safe in the knowledge he had achieved what he set out to do in Dusseldorf almost three weeks ago.

Froome likely to target Tour-Vuelta double

Chris Froome will likely target a Tour de France-Vuelta double.

Speaking to local broadcaster France television, Froome said, "If everything goes without problem, I will ride the Vuelta this year."

After his third victory on the Tour last year, Froome finished runner-up in the Vuelta behind Nairo Quintana.

Froome has finished on the Spanish Grand Tour podium three times. Last year was the first time he competed in the Tour and Vuelta the same year.

The Vuelta starts on Aug. 19.