Chris Froome all but secured the Vuelta a Espana title following an emphatic ride on the Alto de L’Angliru – the penultimate stage in Spain.
Froome now looks set to become only the third rider to ever complete the Tour de France/Vuelta double – and the first Brit to do so – with victory his fifth Grand Tour win.
The four-time Tour de France champion will now move up to joint seventh on the all-time list of Grand Tour victories, with the great Eddy Merckx leading the way on 11.
On Saturday, Alberto Contador – who is set to retire after the conclusion of the Vuelta – surged clear to win the gruelling 13.2 km ascent of Stage 20, with Wout Poels finishing second and Team Sky's Froome crossing the line third, 17 seconds behind Spaniard Contador.
More importantly, however, Froome was 34 seconds clear of Vincenzo Nibali, extending his lead over the Italian at the top of the General Classification to two minutes and 15 seconds.
Sunday’s finale will be largely processional and will likely finish in a bunch sprint in Madrid, but Froome’s lead should go unchallenged.
"It's an amazing feeling, having come here for the last six years trying to win and finishing second three times," said the two-time Olympic bronze medallist.
"Once I get home and have to make my own breakfast for the first time in over a month I'm sure it will begin to sink in.
"The team has just been incredible over the last few months. It's meant so much to me, the way they have supported us. I owe a massive thank you to all my team-mates.
"That is probably the toughest Grand Tour I've ever ridden. There was something different happening every day. I've had good days and then I've been lying on the ground, bleeding, thinking my race might be over.
"It's been a rollercoaster – absolutely relentless. It's a relief now to finish and to be getting to Madrid.
"It probably is my greatest achievement, being the first person to win the Tour de France and then go on to win the Vuelta."
Sportsbeat 2017