Chris Froome concedes time but remains on course for historic fourth Tour de France title

Froome had four seconds shaved off his lead by Romain Bardet

Chris Froome in action during Stage 18 of the Tour (Getty)

Exactly a week after Chris Froome teetered on the edge of disaster in the Tour de France, the Briton showed on the Col d’Izoard ascent that he has rebounded with a vengeance and is well on course for a fourth outright win in five years.

The 2016 champion did not triumph in the Tour’s final summit finish on Thursday, with French climbing genius Warren Barguil securing a second stage victory this year as Romain Bardet shaved four seconds off the Briton’s lead, but Froome’s position remains firm.

Only Saturday’s time trial in Marseille - which Froome, given his domination of that speciality, will likely win - now stands as the one real obstacle between the Briton and outright victory.

“I’m happy to have got through the Alps without a problem,” Froome said afterwards. “It was a very, very hard stage with the climb to the finish, and the Alps have always been more difficult for me.”

Froome can be seen in the centre of the pack during stage 18 (Getty)

This last point is debatable, given seven days ago in the Peyragudes summit finish Froome had struggled to a near halt on the final, ultra-steep, upper slopes, losing the Tour lead to Italian National Champion Fabio Aru.

But having cracked so badly, the Briton stubbornly promised he would be stronger in the Tour’s final week and so it has proved.

The yellow jersey was regained in somewhat improbable circumstances, thanks to Aru’s poor manouvring on a short, twisting uphill finish in Rodez last Saturday. However, ever since the Tour entered the Alps Froome has put up a sustained defence of his narrow, but sufficient lead.

That process continued apace yesterday as Froome’s Sky team-mates surged to the front of the favourites group on the lower slopes of the 14.1 kilometre Col d’Izoard. An initial attack by Froome’s strongest climbing support rider, Basque Mikel Landa, left Aru in trouble again.

Froome celebrates retaining the yellow jersey (Getty)

But Sky’s pincer move with Landa failed to unsettle Froome’s two closest rivals, Bardet and Rigobert Urán, who easily closed down the Tour leader’s own surging acceleration when Froome attempted to bridge across to his team-mate.

In a frantic finale, a last-ditch attack by Bardet netted the Frenchman third place and a four-second time bonus. That was scant pickings on a day where Froome was theoretically at his weakest, and in Saturday’s technical time trial through the streets of Marseille the boot will be on the other foot.

“Dropping Bardet and Uran was impossible today,” Froome, who has a 23-second overall advantage, said.

“But I’ll do my best to try to win the stage [on Saturday], and I’ll ride for yellow.”

Dan Martin finished within 19 seconds of Froome (Getty)

In yet more good news for Sky, Landa overtook Aru to move into fourth in the standings. It’s now not out of the question that if Landa time trials as well as he has climbed in this year’s Tour, Sky could claim their first double podium in Paris since 2012, with Froome in first and Landa in second or third.

Meanwhile Britain’s Simon Yates looks all but certain to succeed his twin brother Adam as the winner of the Best Young Rider’s Classification.

As happened on Wednesday, Yates continued to struggle late on but lost only 22 seconds to his closest pursuer, Louis Meintjes, to ensure the rider from Bury remains in the lead.

As for Froome, the Sky rider is on course for a fourth outright victory in five years, which would place him just one short of the total taken by the Tour’s four time greats: Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain.

“For sure it would have been nice to win today on the most iconic stage but if I get to Paris in yellow I’ll have no regrets,” Froome concluded.