A day after looking vulnerable in the rain, the Team Sky rider and 2013 Tour champion made his decisive move 1.5 kilometres from the finish.
He dropped Tejay van Garderen, who snatched the overall leader's yellow jersey, and crossed the line 17 seconds ahead of the American.
Froome had lost ground on Friday in the driving rain, but he came back strongly in the seventh stage, while defending Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali cracked in the finale and lost the overall lead.
For the top riders, however, the idea is not to peak too soon as a three-week battle awaits on the Tour from July 4-26.
"He's got a lot more to come, I think," Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford told reporters.
"One of the lessons of the past is we got in absolutely pinging and come the last week you're kind of hanging on."
The goal for Froome is that his form improves as the Tour progresses and does not nosedive during the final week in the Alps.
"I'm not quite at my best yet. I think I've still a bit of work to do between now and the Tour," Froome told reporters.
"That's one of the reasons we're here, to really test and see where we're at. I'm happy with where I'm at. It's a good place to be at his time of the season."
Although his level appears short of what it will need to be on the Tour, Froome still impressed.
"When he attacked he went by so fast there was no way I could get on his wheel," said Van Garderen.
BMC's Van Garderen leads Froome by 18 seconds heading into Sunday's final stage, a 156.5-km mountain trek to Modane-Valfrejus.
Nibali, who took the yellow jersey on Friday after breaking away with four other world class riders, slumped to 11th overall 3:05 off the pace.
The Italian, however, was not unduly concerned for the Tour.
"I'm more or less in the same condition as last year at that time," the Astana rider told reporters.
Most of the top contenders for the Tour are in the race, with the exception of Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Spain's Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Frenchman Thibaut Pinot.
Contador will warm up for the Tour at the June 18-21 Route du Sud, while Pinot started the Tour de Suisse on Saturday.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
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