Chris Froome struggled to come to terms with his achievements in the 2015 Tour de France after all but securing the yellow jersey on Saturday.
The Team Sky rider had to react to numerous attacks on stage 20 from main rival Nairo Quintana and, although he lost over a minute to the Movistar rider, Froome did enough to remain in yellow.
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As his teammates faded on the gruelling final climb up Alpe d'Huez, Froome continued to push and his efforts were handsomely rewarded.
With stage 21 a procession to Paris, Froome will take his second title in three years providing he stays on his bike en route to the Champs-Élysées.
"I can't quite come to terms with it just yet," he said. "There were so many emotions going through my mind going up that last climb.
"I've always had teammates with me. The job they've done has saved my yellow jersey. We were obviously trying to control Nairo Quintana.
"There were moments when I felt that I could be in danger but I thought of all the sacrifices, all the team camps, time away from my wife and my family and everything went through my head.
"I was on my limit going up that last climb but I just had to find something else just to keep pushing. That was only 110km but it felt like 300. It was such a hard stage.
"It's unreal, absolutely unreal. Winning the Tour again gives me an unbelievable feeling. Each Tour is different in its own way."