Froome warms up for Tour by winning Dauphine for 3rd time

FILE - In this July 24, 2015, file photo, Britain's Chris Froome, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, grimaces as he crosses the finish line of the 19th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 138 kilometers (85.7 miles) with start in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and finish in La Toussuire, France. Froome will be racing both for and against history when the Spanish Vuelta starts Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. The Tour de France champion will be aiming to become the third cyclist to win both the Tour and the Vuelta in the same season. But to join Jacques Anquetil (1963) and Bernard Hinault (1978) as the only riders to complete the rare double, Froome will have to finally win the Grand Tour that has left him with runner-up finishes on two occasions. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Britain’s Chris Froome. AP FILE PHOTO

SUPERDEVOLUY, France — Chris Froome warmed up for the Tour de France by winning the Criterium du Dauphine stage race for the third time on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

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.

Cummings secured his first ever stage win on the Dauphine after breaking away 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the end of the mountainous 151-kilometer ( 94-mile) ride to the Alpine ski resort of Superdevoluy, beating Irishman Daniel Martin and Bardet by four minutes.

Martin finished third in the standings, while former Sky teammate and key Tour support rider Richie Porte of Australia was in fourth place overall.

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