SUPERDEVOLUY, France (AP) – Chris Froome warmed up for the Tour de France by winning the Criterium du Dauphine stage race for the third time on Sunday.
It may prove to be a good omen for Froome, because his other Dauphine wins were in 2013 and 2015 – the years he also won the Tour, which starts July 2.
“It’s a massive satisfaction to win the Dauphine for the third time, it’s a very important race,” the 31-year-old Froome said. “Coming into this week, I was just happy fighting for the podium. It’s a confidence booster ahead of the Tour de France, but there’s still some work to do.”
Froome finished with a winning margin of 12 seconds over Frenchman Romain Bardet, while Tour rival Alberto Contador of Spain was fifth overall.
On a good day for British riders, Stephen Cummings won the final stage thanks to a solo breakaway.