Thibaut Pinot overcame Romain Bardet in the final metres to win stage six of the Critérium du Dauphiné ©Getty Images

Thibaut Pinot triumphed in a head-to-head battle with fellow Frenchman Romain Bardet to win the penultimate stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné as Britain’s Chris Froome closed in on winning the overall classification for the second consecutive year.

Pinot, widely considered as one of his country’s best prospects of ending France's 31-year-long wait for another Tour de France winner, had formed part of a 27-man move which broke away after 22 kilometres of the 141km route from La Rochette to Méribel.

As the break began climbing the Col de la Madeleine, at the midpoint of the stage, Bardet and Spain’s Alberto Contador looked to attack from the peloton.

While Contador was reeled in by race leader Froome, Bardet was able to move clear and eventually joined a smaller 10-man group, which contained the Czech Republic’s Roman Kreuziger and Pinot.

Bardet and Pinot were able to break clear in the final kilometres as they approached Méribel, with the former opting to launch a late attack for the stage win.

His compatriot, Pinot, after rebuffing the move, eventually went clear to claim the stage win in a time of 4hr, 24min, 16sec.

“I find it hard to realise what's happening because I only got good feelings at the end,” said Pinot.

“I was struggling all day, had I been told in the climb to La Madeleine that I was going to win, I wouldn't have believed it.

“I was feeling average like the previous days so I didn't expect to do well here, I don't know what happened in the finale.”

Chris Froome (right) will take a 27 second lead in tomorrow's final stage
Chris Froome (right) will take a 27 second lead in tomorrow's final stage ©Getty Images

After coming in 1:07 down on the stage winner, Team Sky’s Froome was able to extend his race lead over Richie Porte to 21 seconds after dropping his rival, while the Australian is now level with Bardet.

Ireland’s Dan Martin and Contador lie 30 and 35 seconds adrift of the race leader.

Froome will now look to preserve his race lead throughout the 151km stage from Pont-de-Claix to SuperDévoluy to win the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Tour race for the third time, as he builds for the defence of the Tour de France.

The Tour de Suisse, another key warm-up race of the second Grand Tour of the season, got underway with a home victory as Fabian Cancellara triumphed in a 6.4 km prologue in Baar by finishing in 7:38.

He will take a one second lead into tomorrow’s 187km stage over second placed Jurgen Roelandts of Belgium.