Alberto Contador took victory on stage twenty of the Vuelta a España to virtually guarantee his winning of the race which is in its 69th edition.
The penultimate stage was a 185.7km stage from Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil to Puerto de Ancares and it started with no Dario Cataldo, Filippo Pozzato and Pieter Serry but saw 160 riders set off.
Danilo Wyss (BMC) and Christophe Le Mevel (Cofidis) were the first to attack but were soon caught and first Dmitry Kozontchuk (Katusha), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R-La Mondiale), Winner Ancona (Lampre-Merida) and Vincent Jerome (Europcar) attacked and after they were caught, Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida), Wout Poels (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Jerome Coppel (Cofidis), Maxime Mederel (Europcar) went away forcing a gap in the peloton.
After 62 kilometres, this quartet had taken a lead of five minutes before Coppel took the intermediate sprint.
The gap had briefly gone out to over ten minute but was soon down to 7.12 with 76kms left.
Poels took the points on the Alto de Vilaesteva climb and Niemiec took the second climb - the category three Alto de O Larg climb but was dropped with 30kms left.
Coppel and Niemiec attacked on the The Ancares which had gradients of up to 18% but they were only thirty seconds ahead with twelve kilometres left and three kilometres later, Niemiec was swept up.
Rodriquez was next to attack but was followed by a group containing Aru, Froome, Hernandez, Caruso, Contador, Deignan, Barguil and Valverde.
Froome and Contador watched and waited and made the junction to Rodriquez with 5.4kms left.
The Team Sky rider then attacked but Contador was with him. Under the flam rouge and Contador made his move. Froome was unable to react and the Spaniard from the Tinkoff Saxo Team took the victory in 5.11.43 with Froome coming in sixteen seconds later.
Third, fifty seven seconds down was Valverde and fourth was Joaquim Rodriquez who was 1.18 down followed by Aru.
That was it and Contador takes a lead of 1.35 over Froome going into the final 9.7km time trial in Santiago de Compostela.
Contador was delighted and said: "We have to look at the time trial course, but with the advantage we have gained, unless there’s some kind of breakdown the race is won.
“All I had to do was to follow Chris Froome’s wheel. Froome is very strong but I am very happy as It’s another Grand Tour victory"