Nairo Quintana cracks on Alpine stage, loses time to Chris Froome

Despite being a specialist in mountain stages, Quintana surrendered to the defending champion in the first Alpine leg of this year’s Tour — won by Russian all-rounder Ilnur Zakarin on Wednesday.

Froome made the most of a brutal final ascent to the artificial lake of Finhaut-Emosson to tighten his grip on the race and take another step toward a third title in four years in cycling’s biggest event.

While Quintana struggled, Froome reasserted his superiority over his direct rivals in the sizzling heat that hit the Swiss Alps.

Given the big gaps which the Kenyan-born rider already has opened, the news does not bode well for his rivals.

Once the stage reached the mountains, Froome’s teammates deployed their usual tactics, moving to the front to set a sustained tempo and tire his rivals.

Riding several minutes behind the breakaways, Richie Porte finally attacked from the yellow-jersey group around 2 kilometers from the finish.

On the steep ramps leading to the line, Quintana, Yates and Mollema were unable to respond, and Froome accelerated.

Quintana first followed the defending champion’s frenetic pace but cracked after a few hundred meters.

Porte — who rode in support of Froome at Team Sky before he joined BMC this season — crossed the finish line with his former leader.

“I really want to be on the podium, so these are the moves you have to pull,” said Porte, who moved to sixth overall, 4:27 back.

After several breakaway attempts, a group of 14 riders, including world champion Peter Sagan, formed at the front of the race.

The scenic route near Mont Blanc took the peloton up and down serpentine roads between neatly arranged vineyards with snowcapped peaks in the distance.

The riders competed in their first Alpine stage, a 115-mile ride to the ski resort of Finhaut-Emosson, Switzerland.