Cycling: Nibali has Tour de France at his feet

Sicilian 'shark' set to complete sweep of grand tours

(ANSA) - Rome, July 25 - Italy's Vincenzo Nibali looks set to claim victory in the 2014 Tour de France this weekend and join an elite club of riders to have won all three of cycling's grand tours. The 29-year-old Sicilian, who is nicknamed the "shark", is expected to conserve his massive lead of over seven minutes over his nearest rival, Frence's Thibaut Pinot, in the flat 19th stage from Maubourguet Pays du Val d'Adour to Bergerac on Friday.

So the only thing that can stop him from adding to his 2010 Vuelta en Espana and 2013 Giro d'Italia titles looks to be a crash in Saturday's time trial. But looking fresh despite three weeks of gruelling competition, Nibali may well increase his lead on Saturday to set up a victory parade along Paris' Champs-Élysées in Sunday's finale. The Astana rider has worn the yellow leader jersey for all but two stages of this year's race, four of which he has won.

He had a dose of luck after crashes forced last year's champion Chris Froome and double Tour winner Alberto Contador out of the race. But he took full advantage, always finishing ahead of his rivals in the mountains, and will be a worthy winner. Victory will make Nibali the sixth rider to win all three grand tours after Contador, Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil, fellow Italian Felice Gimondi and Belgian Eddy Merckx.

The last Italian to win the Tour was Marco 'the pirate' Pantani in 1998, when he also won the Giro. Pantani, whose career was hit by doping scandals, died aged 34 of a drugs overdose 10 years ago.