The Briton, whose mere appearance at the race has been the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism after he failed a drugs test for having double the permitted levels of asthma drug salbutamol in a sample given during the Vuelta last year, had quite literally managed the unthinkable.

Froome launched a stunning solo breakaway 80 kilometres from the finish at Monte Jafferau to snatch the Maglia Rose and put himself to within touching distance of becoming the third man to hold all three of cycling's Grand Tours at the same time.

The 33-year-old then built on that advantage today to all-but seal another major triumph. 

But it will inevitably be greeted by the doubts and reservations over his legitimacy likely to linger over Froome’s career until he addresses the failed test last September.

This is something which he is yet to do, although he claims he has “done nothing wrong and that will soon become clear to everyone".

Even International Cycling Union President David Lappartient believed Froome should not be racing until the case is resolved, so it is little wonder the reaction to his performance yesterday has raised a few sceptical eyebrows.

Comments on Twitter - which can be a useful barometer for gauging public opinion on sporting events if you ignore the trolls and wind-up merchants - veered from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Unbelievable seems the most apt word to describe Froome’s ride as it perfectly encapsulates both points of view.

On the one hand, you have those who are adamant his display on the arduous 185km journey was nothing more than an example of sporting greatness, a “super-human” performance which will go down amid the greatest of all-time.

The fact that Froome is a phenomenal Grand Tour racer, coupled with all of the ingredients seemingly being in place, supports that view - the rider himself described it as "something really special" - but the detractors and critics see it a different way.

There are plenty who would have shook their heads, not in admiration but in consternation and dismay, when witnessing the Kenyan-born Briton yesterday, and it is not difficult to see why.

“On days like this, I despair about pro cycling,” a respected cycling journalist said.

“If it is unbelievable in cycling, then it usually is,” said another.

After all, cycling has been here before. Remember the adulation which greeted Lance Armstrong throughout all of his Tour de France victories, before the disgraceful truth came to light?

The exposal of Armstrong as a serial drugs cheat left a considerable scar on cycling which it has largely struggled to heal. Yes, huge progress has been made in this area but a lack of trust still exists, exacerbated when an athlete who has tested positive for whatever reason produces a ride like Froome’s.

Until Froome provides an explanation - he has been given several opportunities to do so - every such ride will be met with, rightly or wrongly, the same air of suspicion. It is a painful reality for a competitor whose glittering career shows little sign of waning.

Of course, Froome is not alone in this respect nor is this issue limited to cycling.

Every Russian athlete, for example, will be given a similar response from the media and their fellow competitors when they win a medal or produce a quick time following the country’s widespread doping scandal, which continues to reverberate around world sport.

The bribery and blackmail scandal in athletics, involving the previous top brass at the worldwide governing body, and similar accusations in biathlon have also plunged athletes’ faith to a new low.

The problem, however, seems more extreme in sports like cycling.

Consider the achievements of the Real Madrid football team or Usain Bolt; if they were involved in cycling, would the responses be different? There are several who say the answer to that hypothetical yet pertinent question is yes, although Bolt and members of the Spanish giants have not failed drugs tests.

It is a shame that spectacular performances are met with scepticism and dubiousness. In fact, amid the current sporting climate, it is the go-to response for the more cynical among us.

It is also difficult to know how, and if, this can ever change, but there are numerous examples of where sport does not help itself.

A case involving Major League Baseball (MLB) player Dominican Republic’s Welington Castillo caught the eye of us in the office earlier this week.

Castillo, who has represented his country at major international events and currently plies his trade for Chicago White Sox, was given an 80-game ban after he tested positive for erythropoietin.

The amount of games may seem a lot but it represents around half of an MLB season and for a drug referred to as among the worst of the banned substances. How is that in any way proportionate?

Castillo is fortunate major professional leagues in the United States are not code signatories of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). If they were, he would have been suspended for four years.

The response to the Russian doping crisis is another prime example. After months of investigations and revelations about a “systematic manipulation” of the anti-doping system committed by the country, a team of 168 athletes was still allowed to march under a neutral flag at the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang and compete at the event like nothing had happened.

The underlying frustration and consternation of some sporting officials still resonates over three months on.

Just yesterday, I tweeted a link to a story regarding the letter sent by Russian authorities to WADA and whether it meets the criteria outlined in the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance roadmap.

“They are a country of cheaters,” an American Paralympian responded.

The trouble sport has is that athletes who test positive are guilty until proven innocent. In the British criminal system, it is the other way around.

This leads to a perception that they have indeed cheated before they are given the chance to explain the circumstances.

Froome, who knows this more than most, will be presented with the famous pink jersey at some point tomorrow afternoon.

But the celebrations which would usually greet such a moment are likely to be far more muted. At this stage, he only has himself to blame.