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3 talking points ahead of final 5 TDF stages

Cape Town - The 2016 Tour de France rides on to the final five stages of the three-week spectacle with some notable riders showing off their agility and stamina.

As we head into the final five days, here are some talking points to consider:

Froome to win his third Tour title?

Chris Froome has donned the yellow jersey since his eighth stage win and heads into Stage 17 with 1:47 lead.

Although, it is still possible for the British rider to lose the Tour, his competition has been fairly unimpressive to date and haven't been much of a challenge for the 31-year-old.

His 'rival' and two-time Tour runner-up Nairo Quintana hasn't been at his best these last couple of days, as he's tried, but struggled to keep up with Froome, Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema.

Nonetheless, it looks like Froome will seal his third Tour title and a well deserved one after that horrible 12th stage crash.

Mollema the only one to catch Froome?

Bauke Mollema has been able to stay behind Froome in the mountains, and moved up to second in the time trial in Stage 13.

Mollema is less than two minutes behind the two-time Tour winner with Adam Yates a further 58 seconds behind.

The Dutch rider was in this same predicament three years ago, when he was placed second ahead of the final week, but eventually finished sixth.

With four gruelling stages in the Alps looming, Mollema will be going into the 17th stage confident with his focus set on that yellow jersey and ultimate glory.

Meintjes going strong for SA

Louis Meintjes has been flying South Africa's flag high at the TDF this year. Riding for Lampre-Merida, the 24-year-old is sits 5:48 behind Froome in the yellow jersey standings.

Meintjes also qualifies for the young rider (white jersey) classification and is currently placed second behind Adam Yates (3:03).

The Pretoria-born rider, who is taking part in his second Tour, will be looking for a solid last few days after being forced to withdraw last year.

Louis Meintjes (Getty Images)

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