Froome's fourth a Tour de force

Tenacious Team Sky star counts latest triumph as toughest yet

PARIS - After the champagne bubbles fade and Chris Froome drifts away from his celebrations to reflect on a fourth Tour de France win, he may do so with greater fondness than was the case with his other triumphs.

The first, in 2013, brought the bursting pride of a first success. But he won by more than four minutes, as he did last year. Although Nairo Quintana finished a little over a minute behind him in 2015, this year's victory - by just 54 seconds - over another Colombian, Rigoberto Uran, tastes sweeter.