Tour de France Stage 20: Chris Froome poised for third win in four years (+ videos)

Chris Froome is poised to win the Tour de France for the third time in four years – and bring Team Sky and Great Britain their fourth yellow jersey in five years – after safely negotiating today’s Stage 20 to Morzine, won by Movistar’s Jon Izaguirre.

Cut and bruised from his crash towards the end of yesterday’s stage, Froome completed the stage around four and a quarter minutes behind Izaguirre, looking happy and relieved as he finished.

He and his Team Sky colleagues will be glad to have been spared sole responsibility for controlling the break on today’s 145.5 kilometre stage from Megeve.

With today’s break including Tinkoff’s Roman Kreuziger, who had started the day 12th overall, 9 minutes 45 seconds behind the race leader, other teams had to take the initiative to defend their riders’ overall positions.

While overhauling Froome on the race’s penultimate stage was the most unlikely of scenarios, the Czech did move into virtual second place on the general classification as the break extended its lead to around seven minutes.

Ahead of the final climb of this year’s Tour, the Col de la Joux Plane, it was AG2R-La Mondiale, defending the second place overall that Romain Bardet claimed with his stage win yesterday, and Orica-BikeExchange, looking to get Adam Yates back onto the podium, who led the chase.

On that last climb Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali – the only rider in the past five years to have broken Team Sky’s domination of the yellow jersey when he won in 2014 – attacked from the break. He was caught before the summit by IAM Cycling’s Jarlinson Pantano and Izaguirre.

On rain soaked roads most would have backed Nibali to pull out a lead on the descent and head off alone to victory, but instead it was Izaguirre who seized the initiative, the Basque rider crossing the line 19 seconds ahead of Pantano, with Nibali third.

Meanwhile, Team Sky had forced the pace on the Col de la Joux Plane, cresting it around three minutes behind the leaders, Geraint Thomas marshalling Froome safely through the wet hairpins to finish the stage, with just tomorrow’s procession into Paris remaining.

Reaction

Stage winner, Jon Izaguirre (Movistar)

There were many quality riders in our breakaway group. So we're very happy to finish ahead of them and win the stage. Beating Nibali in a downhill is something that counts in a career but Pantano also descends very well. I'm super happy.

We came here with the SueñoAmarillo (yellow dream, for Nairo Quintana) but Froome was the strongest. At the end of the day, we're happy with a spot on the podium [Quintana third], a stage win and the teams' classification victory.

Yellow jersey wearer, Chris Froome (Team Sky)

I'm pretty sore, all my knee and my back, but my legs were better today than yesterday after the crash. I had that four minutes gap to play with. It gave me a breathing space. I just had to stay in front. It's a huge relief to cross that finish line.

The last 24 hours have been pretty chaotic but my team-mates helped me so much to keep the yellow jersey on my shoulders. It's an amazing feeling [to win the Tour]. It could be like the first one again.

Adam Yates, leading the best young rider's classification and fourth overall (Orica-BikeExchange)

I was never meant to be focused over three weeks of racing. Yesterday I had my only real bad day and I saved myself pretty well. I maintained the white jersey and I'm super happy with that.

The podium would have been nice but this is the Tour de France. It's only my second attempt. I'm happy with my performance and the team is too.

Here's today's onboard video.