L’ALPE D’HUEZ, France — In the end, victory came with a slightly more desperate than triumphant tone. But Chris Froome, 30, the British leader of Team Sky, effectively won his second Tour de France on Saturday. All that remains is for him to safely make his way through the largely ceremonial final stage in Paris.
After being widely seen as the obvious winner since his decisive stage win on July 14, Froome’s hold over the Tour wavered over the final two days of racing, reaching the point on Saturday where he said he feared that a follow-up to his 2013 win might slip away.