Tom Pidcock stands to finish on the podium of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday after surviving the final mountain test as Jonas Vingegaard rode away to take a stage 20 win that seals his overall victory.
Pidcock, defending an advantage of 39 seconds over Jai Hindley, wrestled his bike up gradients in excess of 20 per cent to the summit of the Bola del Mundo - the last 3km of which were ridden on broken concrete in a brutal test of stamina at the end of three weeks.
More than once the Yorkshireman appeared to be losing the wheels of his rivals but he never cracked, crossing the line in fourth place, five seconds behind Hindley to all but ensure he will be on the podium after Sunday's largely processional stage into Madrid.
After bonus seconds were applied, Pidcock ended the day 30 seconds clear of Hindley, and three minutes 11 seconds behind Vingegaard.
It is a significant marker for the Olympic and former world mountain bike champion and former cyclo-cross world champion in the first Grand Tour where he has fully prioritised the general classification over stage wins.
"I'm pretty proud of myself, it's definitely the biggest performance of my career," the Q36.5 Pro Cycling rider said. "It's maybe not the biggest win, others are more special, but...I'm exhausted to be honest and I can't really find any words.
"I think the best thing is now I can just relax. Day after day so you are so focused on everything, switched on for the race every day. Now I can just sit here. I don't have to put this jacket on or drink cherry juice or the disgusting recovery drinks."
Joao Almeida, who started the day 44 seconds down on Vingegaard in second place, had done his best to put pressure on the Dane throughout the stage but had no response when Vingegaard attacked with a little over one kilometre to go.
Vingegaard won by 11 seconds from his team-mate Sepp Kuss, with Almeida fading to fifth on the stage, 22 seconds down as Vingegaard increased his overall lead to one minute 16 seconds.
Protestors had once again attempted to disrupt the Vuelta, blocking the road on the approach to the final climb, but riders were able to bypass the blockade using a side road and it had minimal impact on the race.
Organisers have announced that Sunday's final stage in Madrid has been shortened by five kilometres amid concerns over further disruption.
PA
