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Nibali, who went on to win Stage 19, said: “He was very angry but that’s his problem.�

Froome said a stone or piece of asphalt jammed between his brake and rear wheel on the Col de la Croix de Fer climb, forcing him to pull up momentarily to unjam it.

While Froome stopped, Nibali rode away.

Those weren’t the only fireworks on the exhausting alpine stage that moved Froome one step closer to a second Tour victory.

On the stage’s final climb to the La Toussuire ski station, Nairo Quintana launched his most sustained and telling attack against the 2013 champion, and this time got the better of him.

Showing for the first time at this Tour that he’s not untouchable, Froome chose not to stay with the Colombian, his closest rival, as he rode away, eating into the Team Sky rider’s overall race lead.

Froome said he preferred to save energy for today’s last Alpine stage, which features two very hard climbs. So rather than hunt down the Movistar rider, Froome rode steadily, telling himself: “‘I don’t need to panic but I do need to keep something in reserve.’�

He didn’t hold back on Nibali.

At the finish, “I told him exactly what I thought of him,� Froome said.

There was other unpleasantness out on the road. TV images of the final climb appeared to show a spectator spitting toward the race leader as he sped past.

Froome said he didn’t see the man but called his behavior “appalling.� Earlier in the Tour, Froome said another spectator threw a cup of urine at him and another punched his teammate Richie Porte.

“We are human beings,� he said. “You can’t come to a bike race to spit at people, or to punch them or to throw urine at them.�

Froome’s reduced lead of 2 minutes, 38 seconds over Quintana, down from 3:10 at the start, should still be enough to get the British rider through the last competitive day in the Alps before the final stage to Paris on Sunday.