Britain's Chris Froome wins his fourth Tour De France in the last five years. Time_Sports </s> PARIS — Britain’s Chris Froome moved within one win of the all-time record when he clinched his fourth Tour de France win on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Thanking his Team Sky team mates, Froome crossed the finish line of the 21st and final stage in Paris to win cycling’s toughest race for the third time in a row, 54 seconds clear of Cannondale-Drapac’s Rigoberto Uran of Colombia and with a two minutes, 20 seconds lead over Bardet of AG2R La Mondiale’s in third.

Froome, a 32-year-old Briton, embraced his wife and child after he clinched his fourth win in five years as he crossed the finish line near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris after what is traditionally a champagne-sipping procession on the final day of the Tour.

His fourth title puts him just one shy of all-time record-holders Miguel Indurain of Spain, Belgium’s Eddy Merckx and Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil.

Although American Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005, he was stripped of his titles in 2012 for doping.

It was also the fifth Tour de France victory for Britain’s Team Sky, which first won the title in 2012 with Bradley Wiggins before Froome took it in 2013, 2015, 2016 and again this year.

Froome received 500,000 euros ($583,000) for winning cycling’s most grueling race, a 3,540km trek across four countries, 635 cities, over 23 mountain passes or climbs and watched by up to 12 million spectators.

Unlike previous years, Froome’s fourth title wasn’t a given from the start, with the general classification going down to the wire and only being decided on the penultimate time trial on Saturday in Marseille.

But Froome, who had entered the time trial with a narrow 23-second lead over Bardet and a 29-second lead over Uran, dealt his rivals a decisive blow when he finished third with a powerful ride in Marseille, extending his lead over Uran to 54 seconds. Bardet faded badly, slumping from second place to third in the overall standings at two minutes, 20 second behind Froome.

Froome, who did not win a stage but was third four times, may be on the cusp of becoming one of the all-time cycling greats but he is not among Britain’s best-known sporting heroes.

The Kenyan-born British rider has often been overshadowed at home by the now retired Wiggins, the first British Tour de France winner in 2012 and a five-time Olympic champion.

Last year, Froome didn’t even make the 16-strong shortlist for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year despite winning his third Tour de France title.

Born in Kenya to English parents, who ran a crop farm, Froome started cycling seriously when he 13 years old. An avid collector of snakes and a keen mountain biker in the Kenyan bush when he was young, Froome went to secondary school in Johannesburg and studied economics at the University of Johannesburg for two years before becoming a cycling pro. He now lives in Monaco with his young family.

Although Froome was booed at the start of the time trial yesterday in Marseille, and also got a hostile reception when he nearly caught up with his main French rival Bardet at the finish line in the stadium, he has always remained gracious.

“The atmosphere here is incredible, it’s huge,” he told reporters yesterday.

Today’s stage, a 103km trek from Montgeron, where the Tour started in 1903, to Paris, started with the riders and their supporting staff enjoying a glass of champagne as rain fell and thousands of spectators lined the streets.

Andre Greipel had been looking to win a third straight sprint victory on the Parisian cobbles, but in the end, Dylan Groenewegen of the Netherlands crossed the finish line at the Champs-Elysees in a time of two hours, 25.39 minutes just ahead of the German. </s> MARSEILLE, France — Chris Froome all but secured his fourth Tour de France title by finishing third on Saturday in Stage 20, a time trial in Marseille that was won by Maciej Bodnar.

Only the largely ceremonial stage into Paris along the Champs-Élysées on Sunday stands between Froome and his fourth triumph in five years.

The finish is set to be the tightest margin of Froome’s Tour wins. Rigoberto Urán of Colombia moved into second over all at 54 seconds, while Romain Bardet of France held on for third by just one second ahead of Mikel Landa.

Bardet, 26, was seeking to become the first Frenchman to win the Tour since 1985, but time trials are not his strong suit, and going into Marseille on Saturday, his chances had been all but dismissed. </s> (CNN) Britain's Chris Froome moved within one win of the all-time record when he clinched his fourth Tour de France win on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Thanking his Team Sky team mates, Froome crossed the finish line of the 21st and final stage in Paris to win cycling's toughest race for the third time in a row, 54 seconds clear of Cannondale-Drapac's Rigoberto Uran of Colombia in second place and two minutes, 20 seconds faster than France's Romain Bardet of AG2R La Mondiale's in third.

"I'm speechless, it's just an amazing feeling," Froome said in a televised interview. "The Champs-Elysees never disappoints. There is something magical about it when you spend three weeks thinking about being here in this moment. It's so rewarding every time."

Froome, a 32-year-old Briton, embraced his wife and young child after he clinched his fourth win in five years near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris after what is traditionally a champagne-sipping procession on the final day of the Tour.

His fourth title puts him just one shy of all-time record-holders Miguel Indurain of Spain, Belgium's Eddy Merckx and Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil.

"A huge, huge honor to be talked about in the same sentence with those kind of guys," Froome said. "Just their place in history of the Tour de France, just feels so privileged to be in this position and have the opportunity to be going for this kind of record."

Although American Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005, he was stripped of his titles in 2012 for doping.

It was also the fifth Tour de France victory for Britain's Team Sky, which first won the title in 2012 with Bradley Wiggins before Froome took it in 2013, 2015, 2016 and again this year.

Froome received 500,000 euros ($583,000) for winning cycling's most grueling race, a 3,540km trek across four countries, 635 cities, over 23 mountain passes or climbs and watched by up to 12 million spectators.

Unlike previous years, Froome's fourth title wasn't a given from the start, with the general classification going down to the wire and only being decided on the penultimate time trial on Saturday in Marseille.

But Froome, who had entered the time trial with a narrow 23-second lead over Bardet and a 29-second lead over Uran, dealt his rivals a decisive blow when he finished third with a powerful ride in Marseille, extending his lead over Uran to 54 seconds. Bardet faded badly, slumping from second place to third in the overall standings at two minutes, 20 seconds behind Froome.

"Each time I've won the Tour, it's been so unique, so different, such a different battle to get to this moment," Froome said. "They're all so special in their own way. And this year will be remembered for being the closest of the four battles between the GC [general classification] rivals."

Froome, who did not win a stage but finished third four times, may be on the cusp of becoming one of the all-time cycling greats, he is not among Britain's best-known sporting heroes.

The Kenyan-born British rider has often been overshadowed at home by the now retired Wiggins, the first British Tour de France winner in 2012 and a five-time Olympic champion.

Last year, Froome didn't even make the 16-strong shortlist for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year despite winning his third Tour de France title.

Born in Kenya to English parents, who ran a crop farm, Froome started cycling seriously when he 13 years old. An avid collector of snakes and a keen mountain biker in the Kenyan bush when he was young, Froome went to secondary school in Johannesburg and studied economics at the University of Johannesburg for two years before becoming a cycling pro. He now lives in Monaco with his young family.

Although Froome was booed at the start of the time trial yesterday in Marseille, and also got a hostile reception when he nearly caught up with his main French rival Bardet at the finish line in the stadium, he has always remained gracious.

"The atmosphere here is incredible, it's huge," he told reporters yesterday.

Today's stage, a 103km trek from Montgeron, where the Tour started in 1903, to Paris, started with the riders and their supporting staff enjoying a glass of champagne as rain fell and thousands of spectators lined the streets.

Andre Greipel had been looking to win a third straight sprint victory on the Parisian cobbles, but in the end, Dylan Groenewegen of the Netherlands crossed the finish line at the Champs-Elysees just ahead of the German in a time of two hours, 25.39 minutes. </s> Chris Froome is set to win his fourth Tour de France title after increasing his lead in Saturday's penultimate time trial in Marseille.

With Sunday's stage into Paris traditionally a procession, Froome will be able to celebrate on the roads into the capital as he lead grew to 54 seconds over former team-mate Rigoberto Uran.

Frenchman Romain Bardet began the stage second, 23 seconds down, but faded badly and only retained a podium spot by one second ahead of Team Sky's Mikel Landa.

Bodnar, who was cruelly denied victory out of a breakaway on stage 11, completed the 22.5 kilometre course in a time of 28 minutes 15 seconds to win by just one second from his compatriot Kwiatkowski, with Froome a further five seconds back.

Froome's third place on the day means he is only the seventh man in history to win the Tour without picking up a stage victory on the way.

But he was able to enjoy the final metres all the same as he could be seen chasing down the struggling Bardet on the last straight towards the Stade Velodrome.

The 32-year-old would have known at that point his fourth Tour, and third in a row, was in the bag as Colombian Uran had, moments before, run wide on one of the final corners, touching the barriers and losing all momentum.

The Cannondale-Drapac rider recovered to take eighth place on the day, which sees him move up to second overall - matching his previous best in a grand tour as he was second in the Giro d'Italia in both 2013 and 2014.

Irishman Dan Martin finished in 40th place, enough to keep the Quick-Step Floors rider in sixth place in the general classification - his best ever finish in the Tour de France.

Bury's Simon Yates hung on to seventh place overall, securing the young riders' white jersey which was won by his twin brother and Orica-Scott team-mate Adam 12 months ago. </s> PARIS -- Riding a bright yellow bike to match his shiny leader's jersey, defending champion Chris Froome won his fourth and most challenging Tour de France title on Sunday.

The Kenyan-born British rider finished 54 seconds ahead of Colombian Rigoberto Uran overall, the smallest margin of his wins.

This was the third straight win for the Team Sky rider. His first in 2013 came the year after former teammate Bradley Wiggins sparked a mini-era of British dominance.

Frenchman Romain Bardet, runner-up last year, placed 2 minutes, 20 seconds behind in third place, denying Spaniard Mikel Landa -- Froome's teammate -- a podium spot by just one second. Italian Fabio Aru finished fifth.

As per tradition, the 21st stage was reserved for sprinters and mostly a procession for Froome, 32, and the other overall leaders.

Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen won the final stage. </s> Chris Froome all but clinched his fourth Tour de France crown in five years with an outstanding time trial run here.

Although he had to settle for finishing third against the clock, pipped by a Polish one-two of Maciej Bodnar and Michal Kwiatkowski by just six seconds over the 14-mile course, he now carries a 54-second advantage into tomorrow's roll into Paris - his widest lead in the entire race.

And although Va Va Froome will become only the seventh man in Le Tour's history to win the Yellow Jersey without winning a single stage, he won't care two hoots when he tops the podium on the Champs Elysees again.

Starting the day only 23 seconds ahead of French crowd favourite Romain Bardet, Froome didn't just devour the course like a dragon devouring maidens.

Last man down the ramp, he almost humiliated Bardet, following him into the Stade Velodrome finish by only seconds after they had come down the ramp two minutes apart.

Assuming the top three trundle into Paris safely, Rigoberto Uran will finish second and Bardet scrambled on to podium by one second ahead of Froome's Team Sky colleague Mikel Landa.

Where does this leave Froome among British sporting legends?

Take your pick - but in this correspondent's estimation, he is right up there among the greats now.

To win the Tour de France once is a remarkable achievement; to win it four times, including a hat-trick of titles in the last three years, is mind-blowing. </s> Chris Froome became the first British winner of the Vuelta a España on Sunday night, adding the title to his 2017 Tour de France crown in what has been a golden summer of success for the cyclist.

The Briton is only the third rider in history to win the Tour and Vuelta in the same year and the first to do so since Bernard Hinault in 1978. Only Hinault and Jacques Anquetil have managed to complete this particular ‘double’ previously.

Froome is also the first winner of two Grand Tours in the same season since Alberto Contador won the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta in 2008 and the first ever to take both the Tour and Vuelta since the latter moved dates from April to September in 1996.

In almost a carbon copy of his fourth Tour de France win earlier this year, Froome built an early lead in Spain and Team Sky were able to fend off the attacks of his rivals to see it home, with Froome able to extend his advantage on the penultimate stage.

The Team Sky rider finished the race two minutes and 15 seconds clear of second-placed Italian Vincenzo Nibali, with Russia's Ilnur Zakarin third. </s> Chris Froome won La Vuelta – becoming only the third rider to win the event and the Tour de France in the same year.

Victory in Madrid on Sunday enabled Froome to become the first Briton to win La Vuelta – and he toasted the achievement with a glass of cava in the saddle, handed him by a motorcycle camera crew during the 117.6km 21st and final stage.

The Team Sky rider finished two minutes and 15 seconds clear of second-placed Italian Vincenzo Nibali, with Russia’s Ilnur Zakarin third.

Nibali’s compatriot Matteo Trentin won the final stage, his fourth victory, ahead of Lorrenzo Manzin and Soren Kragh Andersen – but Froome’s 11th-placed finish denied the Italian the green jersey.

Only Jacques Anquetil in 1963 and Bernard Hinault 15 years later have matched the Briton’s achievement, although he is the first to do so since La Vuelta was moved from before the Tour to after it in 1995.

Froome’s winning time was 82 hours, 30 minutes and two seconds and within minutes of the finish the delighted 32-year-old was quick to tweet a photograph of himself eating pizza with the caption, “Job done!”.
In road cycling, Britain's Chris Froome wins his third consecutive Tour de France and fourth in five years, finishing 54 seconds ahead of Colombian Rigoberto Urán.