Chris Froome set to win Tour de France

MORZINE, France - Chris Froome kept his lead intact during the final day of climbing in the Alps on Saturday and was poised to secure his third Tour de France title in four years.

“I still need to get the yellow jersey to Paris tomorrow but the race is done and dusted,” Froome said.

Spanish rider Jon Izagirre won the rainy penultimate stage by attacking on the slippery descent from the Col de Joux Plane into Morzine.

Froome, the Kenyan-born British rider who won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, eased up just before the line in the 20th stage and lost a few seconds to his main rivals.

Still, he ended the day with an advantage of 4 minutes, 5 seconds over Romain Bardet of France, with Nairo Quintana of Colombia third, 4:21 behind.

Froome let out a thin smile when he reached the finish as his Sky teammates cheered him on.

Froome is set to become the first rider to defend the Tour title since Miguel Indurain won the last of his five consecutive titles in 1995. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven consecutive titles for doping.

The Tour concludes Sunday in Paris with a mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees.

Froome wore bandages on his right knee and elbow after crashing on a slippery descent a day earlier.

He was never in trouble in this stage, though, as his top lieutenants at Team Sky escorted him up and down each of the day's four climbs.

“It's been a really intense race. ... It was incredible to cross the last finish line with my teammates,” Froome said. “They were with me for the entire Tour.”

On the final descent, which had a vertical drop of more than 2,300 feet, he was extremely careful.

“There was no surprise because Chris Froome won. But for me it was not the same as in previous years,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said, looking back to Froome's attacks in Stages 8 and 11.

“When he attacked in the Peyrsourde descent it was such a surprise,” Prudhomme added. “And he did it again when he went with (Peter) Sagan in Montpellier. I liked it very much. Chris Froome was very good, his opponents less good.”

Jarlinson Pantano of Colombia finished second in the stage, 19 seconds behind Izagirre, while 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali crossed third.