Nibali collected his third Tour stage win on Friday by beating two other breakaway riders at the end of the grueling 122-mile trek from Saint-Etienne to Chamrousse ski station.
MORE: Tour de France images
The first of two days in the Alps lived up to its billing as the daunting final ascent of 12 miles with a 7.3 percent gradient shook up the overall standings.
The main casualty was Australia’s Richie Porte. The Sky Team rider began second to Nibali overall, but lost time in the climb.
