Jai Hindley is set to become the first Australian winner of the Giro d’Italia after taking the lead from Richard Carapaz on the penultimate stage.
Italian Alessendro Covi won the 167km stage in the Dolomite Mountains but the key moment happened behind him.
Bora-Hansgrohe’s Hindley attacked race leader Carapaz, with 3km remaining and the Ecuadorian crumbled.
Hindley, who was three seconds behind Carapaz, now leads by one minute 25 seconds with a short time trial left.
Sunday’s 21st and final stage is a 17.4km individual race against the clock in Verona and Hindley should have built enough of an advantage for himself to take the title.
“I knew this would be the crucial stage of the race, with the brutal finish,” he said.
“We stayed patient until today, and it is amazing. We could not have timed it better. When I heard Carapaz was dropping down, I just went all out. We will see how it goes tomorrow, it is always hard to say how a time trial will go.”
Spain’s Mikel Landa, third in the overall classification, led the peloton with his Bahrain Victorious team-mates while climbing the Giro’s highest point, the Passo Pordoi.
Stage 20 result
1. Alessandro Covi (Ita/UAE Team Emirates), 4 hours 46 minutes 34 seconds
2. Domen Novak (Slo/Bahrain Victorious) + 32 secs
3. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) + 37 secs
4. Antonio Pedrero (Spa/Movistar) + 1 min 36 secs
5. Thymen Arensman (Ned/Team DSM) + 1 min 50 secs
6. Jai Hindley (Aus/Bora-Hansgrohe) + 2 mins 30 secs
7. Gijs Leemreize (Ned/Team Jumbo-Visma) + 3 mins 4 secs
8. Hugh Carthy (GB/EF Education-EasyPost) + 3 mins 19 secs
9. Mikel Landa (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) + 3 mins 19 secs
10. Lennard Kämna (Ger/Bora-Hansgrohe) + 3 mins 39 secs
11. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/Ineos Grenedier) + 3 mins 58 secs
General classification after stage 20
1. Jai Hindley (Aus/Bora-Hansgrohe 86 hours 7 minutes 19 seconds
2. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/Ineos Grenedier) +1 min 25 secs
3. Mikel Landa (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) +1min 51 secs
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Astana-Qazaqstan) +7 mins 57secs
5. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) +8 mins 55 secs
6. Jan Hirt (Cze/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) +9mins 7 secs
7. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger/Bora Hansgrohe) +11 mins 18 secs
8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) +16 mins 4 secs
9. Juan Pedro Lopez (Spa/Trek-Segafredo) +17 mins 29secs
10. Hugh Carthy (GB/EF Education-EasyPost) +17mins 56 secs
