Chris Froome's Tour de France rivals should be worried because his sensational breakaway to win stage eight on Saturday was "just a bit of fun".

Having chanced his arm on ascent of the Col de Peyresourde, Froome still had the lead group with him but, rather than bide his time, the two-time champion opted for a different approach.

With the summit in sight Froome was out of his saddle to generate some extra pace and once over the top he continued to push.

Descending may not have always been the Team Sky leader's strength but he handled the final 14 kilometres superbly as he opened up a 16-second lead at the top of the general classification.

"It wasn't planned," he said at the finish line. "It was just bit of fun really. 

"I had a go on the climb and nothing was sticking so I thought I'd give it a go and see what I could do on the descent – see if I could catch someone out. 

"It was cool. Bike racing is just fun.

"Maybe I spent a bit too much, let's see, tomorrow is a hard stage, it isn't a huge margin but I'll take every second I can get at this stage.

"It's just a really good feeling to win. The guys rode all day so I did it for them."