Fabio Aru News
The defending champion was attacked by last year`s runner-up Romain Bardet and Ireland`s Dan Martin in the lung-busting ascent to the Col du Galibier but he stayed calm and covered every offensive move.
Briton Froome, who hammered the opposition in the first big mountain stages in 2013, 2015 and 2016 -- the years he won the title -- could not match the pace of the top guns in the finale in Peyragudes, surrendering the yellow jersey to Italian Fabio Aru.
Italian champion Aru launched a blistering attack in the final stretches of the fifth stage, jumping away from the leading group with 2.3km left of the 5.9km climb at a lung-busting average gradient of 8.5 per cent.
Italian Fabio Aru is on the verge of sealing his first Grand Tour win after he moved into the lead of Spain`s Vuelta on Saturday with just Sunday`s parade around Madrid to come.
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