True to form, a slow start by the peloton led to a frenzied pursuit as Sunday's 15th stage from Laissac-Severac-l'Eglise to Le Puy-en-Velay was a race within a race within a race.
Trek-Segafredo's Dutch all-rounder Bauke Mollema took the stage courtesy of a brave solo effort as Chris Froome and the rest of the general classification challengers escaped unscathed ahead of Monday's rest day.
A 28-man breakaway group featuring the likes of polka dot jersey holder and Stage 14 winner Warren Barguil, Thibaut Pinot, and Damiano Caruso surged seven minutes clear of the peloton. Also among that group was German rouleur Tony Martin, who noticed that the lead group was content to maintain the gap on the general classification hopefuls, and flipped the stage on its head by surging one minute ahead of the group.
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Full credit to Martin for attempting to win the stage with a solo time trial of sorts, though it was crowd favourite Barguil who closed on Martin during the climbs to snatch more mountain points before Mollema took the lead.
With the peloton splitting into two parts 38 kilometres from the finish, Froome drifted into the second group, and as AG2R and general classification stud Romain Bardet surged ahead, the two-time defending champ suffered a rear-wheel issue. Team Sky's Polish national champion workhorse Michael Kwiatkowski promptly swapped bikes with Froome as the Kenyan-born favourite was forced to close the gap on a peloton featuring Romain Bardet, Fabio Aru, Rigoberto Uran, and the rest of the top 10.
Contrary to reports of divisions within Team Sky in light of Mikel Landa's GC ambitions, it was Landa who slowed to wait for Froome, and almost instantly, the three-time winner was on the rear wheel of Aru and Uran.
White jersey wearer Simon Yates took the initiative with less than nine kilometres to go, and it was Landa, not Froome, who again appeared to be in better form. Even so, Yates, Froome, Landa, Aru, Uran, and Bardet finished together slightly behind Quick-Step's Dan Martin, meaning very little changed in the top seven save for the Irish rider vaulting into fifth.
The big loser Sunday was Nairo Quintana, who entered the stage in eighth place, two minutes and 22 seconds adrift of Froome looking to better last year's third-place finish. Movistar's likable Colombian now sits 11th, six minutes and 16 seconds behind Froome.
The riders will now enjoy Monday's rest day prior to a return to racing Tuesday with the 165-kilometre flat stage from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isere