by Our Sports Desk

ONE more major test stands between Chris Froome and a second Tour de France title — but Nairo Quintana will push the Briton all the way up Alpe d’Huez today.

Froome (Team Sky) had made serene progress until yesterday’s 138km 19th stage from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire when his rivals managed to expose him and Quintana (Movistar) trimmed his overall advantage to two minutes 38 seconds.

But Froome hit out at the Movistar rider’s tactics during the race.

“I felt as if my back wheel locked up,” Froome said. “Some tar or a stone was in between my brake calipers ad back wheel. Unfortunately that was the moment Nibali moved — he did see what he was doing. You don’t do that to the race leader, it is not sportsmanlike.

“Tomorrow will be full on. I’m looking forward to Alpe d’Huez. It would be a dream to win there but I have to keep up with a little Colombian (Quintana) first.”

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) won, claiming some consolation for his poor title defence, after making his initial move when Froome adjusted his bike after a mechanical stop on the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Now only Quintana and the 110.5km 20th stage which finishes atop Alpe d’Huez stand in the way of Froome and a second yellow jersey.

Tomorrow’s final stage in Paris is a procession contested by the sprinters.

La Toussuire was the scene of Froome’s attack on Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins in the 2012 Tour but now the Kenya-born Briton is the undisputed leader.

The concluding 18km ascent was always where the race would ignite and so it proved as Quintana attacked with 6km remaining.

Froome was the only rider who could keep pace as Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) slipped behind.

The Colombian climber made gains on Froome — he finished 44s behind Nibali and the Briton 1m14s adrift — but Quintana will need to attack earlier to seize the maillot jaune in dramatic fashion on today’s penultimate stage.

Froome had been hoping to have a second Briton on the podium in Paris but Geraint Thomas’s hopes of even finishing in the top five appear to be over.

The Welshman finally struggled after two and a half weeks of consummate support as only Dutchman Woet Poels was able to support Froome on a challenging third of four days in the Alps.

Valverde held on to third place, 5m25s behind Froome, but Nibali overtook Contador to move into fourth, 6m44s adrift.

Contador fell 7m56s behind in fifth position.