Nibali poised for final victory in Tour of Spain

Mosquera made a ferocious solo move shortly before three kilometres of steeply rising cemented track led to the summit finish at Bola del Mundo.

But Nibali gradually clawed back terrain to cross the finish line one second behind Mosquera. Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez was third, 23 seconds back.

With just one short, flat stage remaining, Liquigas-Doimo rider Nibali is all but certain to claim overall victory in Madrid on Sunday as he holds a 41-second lead over Mosquera.

He will become the first Italian to win the race since Marco Giovannetti in 1990.

“It’s been very close all the way through this race but that makes winning it all the more special,” Nibali told reporters.

“I can hardly believe I’ve managed to do it.

“I didn’t know the final part of the climb which was very difficult. But I rode at my own pace rather than risk burning myself out.”

Third in the 2010 Tour of Italy, the 25-year-old Nibali was looking forward to sealing the top prize.

“It’s a huge step up for me to take this race, it means I’m a top rider now,” he said.

“I knew nothing about the Tour of Spain before I came here, I had more and more enemies as the race progressed but I was able to win all the same.”

Mosquera carved a path through a sea of fans to open up a maximum gap of 18 seconds on the Italian. But the 35-year-old Spaniard struggled badly as the slopes steepened to 20%, allowing Nibali to recoup his losses.

“When I attacked I wanted to win the Tour of Spain overall, not just the stage,” Mosquera told reporters.

“I had nothing to lose and I went all out. But Nibali knew what he was doing and he rode well. All I can do now is congratulate him.”