Cycling: It's My Tour To Lose, Says Froome

SALON-DE-PROVENCE, France, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jul, 2017 ) - Chris Froome said he could only lose the Tour de France now on the eve of the decisive time-trial in Marseille.

Following Friday's 19th stage, the longest of the race at 222.5km, yellow jersey leader Froome admitted that with only Saturday's race against the clock and Sunday's procession to Paris left, he should wrap up a fourth overall victory.

"Tomorrow I have to not lose the race, I can't win it but I mustn't lose it," said Froome, who leads by 23 seconds from France's Romain Bardet and 29sec to Rigoberto Uran of Colombia. But he is widely regarded as a better time-trialist than both of those two and it would be a major shock were he not to sew up victory on Saturday.

"I have to treat it like any other time-trial that I've done before," said Froome of the 22.5km stage. "I have to do everything right. I'm not going to go out there and take any big risks." On the opening stage, a 14km time-trial in Dusseldorf, Froome beat Bardet by 39sec and Uran by 51sec, although heavy rain at times made the conditions treacherous.

"It's the same as in Dusseldorf. I wasn't going to take risks in the corners," said Froome, 32. "When I can push, I will push. It's not a course where I'll be going out to risk everything. "I'd now much rather be in this position than second, third or fourth and having to make up time on someone else."