Froome stays in Dauphine command

CYCLING: Chris Froome remains in charge of the Criterium du Dauphine after a third day which saw the sprinters take centre stage.

Froome was well protected by his Sky team-mates on the 194k route from Ambert to Le Teil and crossed the finish line in the pack, with Nikias Arndt taking the stage. Arndt had to go to a photo finish to get the nod ahead of Jurgen Roelandts.

Froome was given the same time as the pair, preserving his 12-second lead over Alberto Contador atop the classification.