Chris Froome returned to the scene of his first Tour de France stage win to lay down another important marker in his quest to win a fourth Tour de France. The Team Sky leader finished third on stage 5, with a performance that moved him into the maillot jaune.
Fabio Aru (Astana) won the stage atop La Planche des Belles Filles with a devastating acceleration mid-way up the climb. The move was decisive enough to propel Aru into third overall but it was Froome who took control of the race and now leads teammate Geraint Thomas by 12 seconds. Aru is a further two seconds in arrears.
The first test in the mountains at this year's Tour de France may not have provided Froome's typical all-out assault but there was enough to indicate that the three-time winner has moved on leaps and bounds from where he was in the mountains of the Dauphine last month.
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With Aru up the road, Froome launched a vicious attack with just under two kilometres remaining – roughly the same point at which he hit the front in 2012 when riding for Bradley Wiggins. Only Richie Porte, Romain Bardet and Dan Martin could follow this time around, and all three were unwilling to take a pull when Froome eased off the gas. In the closing stages, just as the climb ramped up once more, Dan Martin kicked for home to take second place, with Froome securing third. Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and several others lost time, although the gaps weren't significant enough to end any single rider's hopes of winning this year's race.
"I think it shows that we've had a little preview in terms of where everyone is at," Froome confirmed when he sat down to meet the press after the stage.
"Having said that, this final suits some guys more than others, with such a steep ramp to the finish, guys like Dan Martin, you'd always expect to be really punchy on those sort of finishes. He did a great ride but it's still a really close race. We've a lot of racing ahead of us."
Team Sky shoulder the responsibility
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