CULOZ, France — When his rivals tried to unsettle the Tour de France leader in the punishing Lacets du Grand Colombier, Chris Froome just kept calm and carried on.

On a tough day through the Jura mountains featuring hardly any flat stretches, attacks from Fabio Aru, Alejandro Valverde and Romain Bardet on the final climb of Sunday’s 15th stage of the Tour left the British champion unfazed.

“I was in control,” Froome summed up at the finish.

So much in control that the Team Sky leader even teased his opponents, suddenly jumping out of the group of favorites near the summit in a fake attack, before stopping his move.

“I just wanted to get a feeling for how the group was, and who was reacting and who to look out for,” Froome said. “What reaction I would get, who would be looming to follow me?”

Froome’s short acceleration had no impact and the group crossed the finish line together, slightly more than three minutes behind stage winner Jarlinson Pantano.

But the cheeky move spoke volumes about his current supremacy at cycling’s biggest event. Aside from his crash in the Mont Ventoux due to a motorbike incident last week, Froome has been enjoying a quiet and effective fortnight.

Ahead of the final week of racing in the Alps, Froome kept his 1:47 lead over Dutch rider Bauke Mollema intact.