Froome 2-5 for fourth title after defying mechanical

Chris Froome survived a mechanical in the final 35km to hold on to the yellow jersey on a fascinating stage 15 of the Tour de France.

Rival Romain Bardet and his AG2R team chose the final category-one climb of the day, the Col de Peyra Taillade, to ignite the GC race, distancing Froome after he had been forced to switched bikes.

To his credit, Froome, assisted by Spaniards Mikel Nieve and Mikel Landa, was able to close down the 45-second deficit and rejoin the peloton to finish alongside his rivals for the yellow jersey.

Froome is 2-5 for a fourth Tour triumph heading into Monday's rest day following one of the biggest tests of his Tour career.

Further up the road, Dutchman Bauke Mollema claimed the stage victory from a breakaway of 28 riders, attacking with more than 20km to go before holding off an elite chasing group of four riders. Diego Ulissi, home hope Tony Gallopin and Primoz Roglic rounded out the top four.

King of the Mountains leader Warren Barguil produced another stellar ride to finish fifth and extend his lead in the polka-dot jersey to 78 points from Roglic.

After a brief stop off in the picturesque Le Puy-en-Velay, the race resumes on Tuesday with a stage that looks tailormade for the sprinters before a general-classification showdown in the Alps on Wednesday and Thursday.