Froome on verge of Tour victory

Chris Froome all but secured victory in the 2015 Tour de France after a battling ride on stage 20 saw the race decided on Alpe d'Huez.

Chris Froome all but secured victory in the 2015 Tour de France after a battling ride on stage 20 saw the race decided on Alpe d'Huez.

The Brit had the constant support of his Team Sky team-mates across a short but brutally tough penultimate stage and was able to limit his losses to crest the final mountain in fifth place.

With nearest rivals Nairo Quintana attacking repeatedly on the famous Alpine climb, Froome was able to settle into a rhythm on the wheel of team-mates Wout Poels and Richie Porte to not only retain the yellow jersey, but carry an advantage of one minute and 12 seconds into Paris on Sunday.

Team Sky gave every last ounce of energy for the cause as the Movistar team looked to throw everything at the race leader on what is effectively the final day of racing for the general classification.

Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Leopold König set an early tempo as the race departed Modane and as the peloton hit the climb of the Col de la Croix de Fer. Attacks soon came and Nicolas Roche and Porte dug deep to set a tempo as the race temporarily blew apart. Froome shut the gap over the top of the climb, adding points to what would eventually prove to be a winning total in the King of the Mountains competition.

Geraint Thomas, Poels, Porte and Roche all battled back on the descent to support Froome on the approach to the 13.8km fan-lined finale, keeping the pace high along the valley road.

Again Quintana attacked, finally pushing clear on Alpe d'Huez with his fourth acceleration to link up with team-mate Alejandro Valverde. Despite being put under intense pressure Team Sky controlled the situation, with Poels and Porte (who finished seventh and ninth over the line) setting a consistent tempo before Froome eventually pushed on to the finish.

Up ahead a race within a race played out as Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) held on to claim the stage win out of the breakaway, holding on by just 18 seconds over Quintana.

A huge day puts Froome on the verge of a second Tour title after success in 2013, with Team Sky all set for a third victory in the world's biggest bike race after Sir Bradley Wiggins's win in 2012.

Thrilling finale

After the stage Froome admitted that he had been pushed hard in the finale as he battled to make sure of his yellow jersey,

"It's unreal. I'm sure I haven't quite take it all on board yet. It's an unbelievable feeling to be sitting here still wearing this jersey," said the 30 year old.

"There were so many things going through my mind going up that last climb. There were moments where I thought, 'hold on a second I could be in danger here'. But then always having my team-mates with me and having Wout and Richie there all the way until the end. Especially after the job all the guys had done today. I thought of all the sacrifices and the weeks of training camps. Time away from my wife and my family. Everything starts going through your head and I was on my limit there. I was hurting going up that last climb. But I just had to find something else just to keep pushing and get through today.

"It was only 110km but it felt like it was 300! It was such a hard stage!"

Team Sky Team Principal Sir Dave Brailsford heaped praise on Froome and the entire team but admitted that his riders had been worked hard on the final day in the Alps.

"It was a bit close in the end. After everything he has endured and put up with in the last few weeks Chris has shown real mettle and what it's all about. I don't think many people get to see what we see every day - and he's shown it in this race. He's a deserved winner and a credit to Britain," he told ITV.

"I think we knew what was coming. We had a bit of a bad day yesterday as a team. Wout saved the day really yesterday and he deserves a lot of credit for that. But today the lads were really gee'd up for it and they weren't going to make a mistake. They weren't going to throw that away and I thought they rode superbly. Richie Porte, whose been really ill for the last few days - he bounced back there today put a fantastic shift. All the lads they've been brilliant for three weeks. It's nice to win it.

"What I've known about Chris is that he is the most unbelievable competitor. He's the most polite, nice guy off the bike, but on the bike he is such a resilient character. I don't think I've ever met anyone like him. He's perfect for the job, but he deserves more credit than he gets. He's a true champion."