On a scorching hot day between two Mediterranean tourist resorts, Froome was on blistering form in the time trial. He blasted the opposition out the way with a near perfect ride, beating the entire field. Only one rider, Castroviejo, came within a minute of his time. More significantly he took a whopping 2 minutes, 16 seconds out of Nairo Quintana's lead.
The Colombian was absolutely right when he said last week that he needed a platform of at least 3 minutes to ensure victory over Froome. He still has a 1 min 21 advantage so the Kenyan born Brit will have to pull something pretty special out of the bag to make that time up on Saturday's final competitive stage before the ceremonial run in to Madrid on Sunday.
It's a tough final climb, perfect for attacking. Has Froome got anything left in his legs? Has defending the red jersey for the final week of the tour taken it out of Quintana? It's all set up for a battle royale between the main players. One thing's for sure: Froome will definitely be giving it all he's got.
Carlton Kirby quote(s) of the day:
"It's Chris Froome that'll be in the Colombian sandwich."
"All eyes are on Froome's clock."
