CHAMBÉRY, France — The Tour de France threw an array of challenges at Chris Froome on Sunday: steep mountain ascents followed by daredevil descents at speeds that exceeded 45 miles per hour, the loss of his top teammate in a crash, a breakdown on his bike, and rivals who tried to make him crack with bursts of acceleration.

But Stage 9 — the most grueling, thrilling day of the 104th Tour so far — finished with Froome still wearing the leader’s jersey. By surviving the 112-mile stage, which knocked 12 riders out of the race and left others bloodied and bandaged, Froome, an Englishman, took a big step toward claiming his fourth Tour victory in Paris on July 23.

With seven ascents that cumulatively amounted to 15,000 feet, it was the “monster stage” that Froome had predicted would cull the number of contenders. At the start, eight riders were within a minute of Froome in the overall standings. Now only three remain.

Among the top names who are out of the race: Richie Porte of Australia and the Welshman Geraint Thomas, Froome’s Sky teammate. Both riders crashed. Thomas, who led the Tour for the first four days, broke his collarbone.