Robert Gesink (Rabobank) set up overall victory in the Tour of Oman on Saturday by winning the key 18.5km hilly time trial and extending his overall lead to more than a minute with just Sunday's final flat stage left to race.
The lanky Dutchman won the uphill finish to Jabal al Akhdhar on Friday and completed a dominant double by covering the roller coaster time trial course in 29 minutes and 20 seconds.
Italy's Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) was a surprise second at 16 seconds, with Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) third at 24 seconds.
The testing course was as much for climbers at is was for pure time trialists, with all the riders limited to their road bikes and high profile wheels. World champion Fabian Cancellara gained time on the flat sections and descents but lost time on the climbs and finished fourth, some 27 seconds slower than Gesink. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) was fifth at 29 seconds, while Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervelo) was 10th at 1:01.
Gesink now leads Boasson Hagen by 1:13, with Visconti third at 1:19. With only Sunday's flat final stage to Muscat, which ends with nine laps on the Mattrah seafront, only a major crash or sudden illness can stop Gesink from winning.
"I'm really surprised to win this stage. It's the first time trial I've ever won in my professional career. I won the Dutch time trial as a kid but that's completely different," Gesink said after more celebrations with the Rabobank staff.
"I'm not known as one of the best time trialists in the worlds but the parcours was unusually tough, and the rolling roads really suit my riding style. I think I can really make myself suffer on a normal road bike and that's what you have to do in a time trial like this. I always ride with a high cadence and I think that was also important to keep going after the climbs."
Gesink was very focused before and during his ride.
"I told myself to keep going and you had to concentrate on what you're doing, your position and your pedaling, not on how much pain you have in your legs. It's also important to take the shortest line. It's not easy to win time trials but it's nice when you get it right."
Gesink knows he has overall success wrapped up but Rabobank could add yet another stage victory to their tally on Sunday's final stage from Qurayyat to the Mattrah Seafront.
"It's a perfect way to start the season. We've had a great race. We've won four out of five stages and we've got a good chance to win tomorrow too (with Theo Bos). It's a really special race for us," Gesink said. On Friday night the riders and staff celebrated with four bottles of champagne. There will probably be just as many tonight and even more on Sunday night after the race is over.
While Rabobank celebrated yet again, the other teams were in a more somber mood.
Marco Pinotti was angry with himself after missing the key split in the peloton before the climb to the finish at Jabal al Akhdhar and gave it everything in the time trial. He was the fastest for a long time with 29:44, a time even Fabian Cancellara could not beat. However Visconti then went faster setting a time of 29:36.
Christian Vande Velde was a little off the pace with 30:21 but Edvald Boasson Hagen also failed to beat Visconti. He was buzzed by a helicopter mid-time trial and was caught up in a storm of dust. It probably cost him a few seconds and so a better placing on the stage but he would end up 29 seconds slower than Gesink.
The Dutchman was fastest at the intermediate point by two seconds and then blasted his way back to the finish to beat Visconti by 16 seconds. He now leads by a margin of 1:13.