MEGEVE, France (AP) — Take it from cycling great Eddy Merckx: nobody can beat Chris Froome in this Tour de France.
Riding with the poise and purpose of the Tour's undisputed leader, Froome won a mountain time trial in Stage 18 on Thursday and opened up a seemingly insurmountable lead of nearly four minutes over his closest challenger, Dutch rider Bauke Mollema.
Only two Alpine stages remain before Sunday's mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
"He deserves his win. He's the strongest," said Merckx, a five-time Tour winner. "I can't see what could prevent him from keeping this yellow jersey until Paris.