FROOME ZOOMS AWAY
CHRIS FROOME is closing in on regaining his Tour de France crown.
Froome took a giant step towards sealing the title after destroying his rivals in the first mountain test yesterday.
The Team Sky rider broke away with 7km to go to win emphatically in La Pierre-Saint-Martin. Richie Porte was second yesterday, 59 seconds back, with Nairo Quintana third. In the overall standings, Tejay van Garderen now trails Froome by two minutes 52 seconds.
Froome’s team-mate Geraint Thomas is now in fifth place.
But defending champion Vincenzo Nibali’s challenge is in tatters after he lost more than four minutes to Froome and is now nearly seven minutes adrift.
It was the Brit’s fifth stage win and leaves the 2013 champion in control with 11 stages left.
Froome, 30, said: “It could not have gone better.
“It was textbook from the team and I’m just over the moon to finish it off for them.”
Such was Froome’s dominance that this win could be decisive in the race to Paris on July 26. All his main challengers for the yellow jersey lost significant time as Froome attacked nearly four miles from the end of the 103-mile route.
And it appears there is nothing his rivals can do to stop him, such is his strength in the mountains.
Team boss Dave Brailsford, said: “Chris is more composed than in 2013.”