Movistar riderIon Izagirre has claimed Stage 20 of the 2016 Tour de France after surmounting a gruelling high mountainous stage divided by four significant climbs and descents.Wearing the yellow jersey, Chris Froome was not crowned champion, but another smooth ride means Team Sky's No. 1 is in touching distance of his third title in four years ahead of the final stage in Paris.Izagirre won his first-ever stage by 20 seconds, with IAM Cycling'sJarlinson Pantano and Astana'sVincenzo Nibali second and third, respectively.Here are the full race standings from Stage 20, per Sky Cycling:And here is a look at how that impacted the general classification from Sky Cycling:RecapThe penultimate race of this year's Tour was ashort but intense Stage,which proved to be the final test of Froome's credentials to claim the title.After notable climbs, including up Col de la Ramaz, the riders were faced with one final confrontation: the Col de Joux Plane. Pantano and JulianAlaphilippe held an advantage of one minute, 50 secondover the chasing pack, five minutes and 40 seconds clear of the peloton.Per CyclingTips, at an 8.5 per cent average, the 12-kilometre climb entered "Hors categorie," with the steep and winding descent to the finish line allowing little respite for any of the riders.The final climb was expected to prove critical for cyclists aiming to take the penultimate stage of this year's Tour. With the leading pair still six kilometres from the crest, Nibali was the first of a group of nine riders to make a move.Alaphilippe appeared eager to test rival Pantano's legs, bursting forward intermittently. However, the Colombian proved he still had the energy for a fight and easily hauled back his competitor. Nibali, meanwhile, continued to close the gap to the jousting duo with five kilometres of the climb still left to complete. Further back, Team Sky produced one more surge of energy to close the gap to the leaders to three minutes, 30 seconds, with the final descent now in sight. Nibali finally joined Alaphilippe and Pantano to set up anexhilaratingrun to the line.With one kilometre to go until the summit, Izagirre joined the three leaders. Looking fresher than most, the 27-year-old had slowly sidled up to the runaway frontmen and now looked in strong contention with the daunting downhill section still to come.Alaphilippe was unable to contend with the energy levels of the Spaniardnor Pantano and Nabiliand was forcibly cut from the vying quadrant as the race for Stage 20 glory was reduced to three men.With just over 12 kilometres until the finish, this is how the leaders looked on the rain-soaked roads, per Le Tour:With four kilometres to go, Izagirre appeared in fine fettle, managing the tricky conditions and the battle for top spot in a wonderfully controlled manner. Flawless in his approach, the Spaniard had built a 10-second lead over Pantano, with Nibali trailing behind.As the final section of the descent continued to flatten, Izagirre took control at the front to manage his lead and eventually crossed the line 20 seconds ahead ofPantano. He joined the leading pack in the latter stages of the race, but it was timed and executed to perfection.Le Tour captured the footage as Izagirre crossed the finish line:More importantly, Froome's race was once again trouble-free. The Kenya-born rider was cheered on by the crowd as he crossed the line, in full knowledge the Team Sky rider will pick up a third crown barring any significant accidents on the final stage towards theChamps-Elysees on Sunday.Le Tour UK expect Froome to complete the job on the final stage:Per Team Sky, Froome gave the camera a cheesy smile as he edged closer to the main prize:Adam Yates' position in the GC has also been affected after Stage 20, dropping him out of the top three and into fourth spot. Per Niall McVeigh of the Guardian,the Englishman will finish outside the podium places but will win the white jersey for best young rider.
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