Tadej Pogacar felt like he was dreaming after his "full gas" individual time trial saw him storm to Tour de France glory on stage 20 on Saturday.
Primoz Roglic had a 57-second advantage over fellow Slovenian Pogacar ahead of the 36.2-kilometre ride from Lure to La Planche des Belles Filles, which finished after a 5.9km category one climb.
Pogacar, who was also in the hunt for the King of the Mountains title, set out at high speed and had effectively halved Roglic's lead when the hit the base of the ascent, where both riders switched to road bikes.
Roglic was visibly struggling while 21-year-old Pogacar surged to triumph, with the Jumbo-Visma rider finishing one minute and 26 seconds later than his compatriot, who consequently took a 59-second lead in the general classification.
An incredible TT saw @tamaupogi power his way into the Yellow Jersey
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 19, 2020
Relive the emotion of that final kilometre!
Un mano à mano exceptionnel dans la Planche des Belles Filles ! Victoire de @TamauPogi qui s'empare du Maillot Jaune ! #TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/mrYuM2b9aW
Barring any problems in the processional final stage on Sunday, Pogacar will be confirmed as the second-youngest Tour winner after a 19-year-old Henri Cornet in 1904.
"I think I'm dreaming. I don't know what to say. It's unbelievable," said Pogacar, who shared a hug with Roglic.
"My dream was just to be on the Tour de France, now the dream is true. I'm here and now there's only the last stage. This is unbelievable. I don't know when I will get this.
"I'm really proud of the team. They did such a big effort. To get the yellow jersey on the final day is what we dreamed from the start. We achieved that and it's amazing. It was not just me, it was all the team.
"We did a reconnaissance and I knew every corner, every pothole in the road, I knew when to accelerate and that's congrats to all the team. I pushed to the end and I made it.
"I was listening to my radio on the flat part but then on the climb, I didn't hear anything from the radio because the fans were too loud. I didn't get any time gaps, I just went deep. I knew the climb well and so went full gas from the bottom to the top."
Pogacar's astounding performance also saw him beat Richard Carapaz to the polka dot jersey and clinch top spot in the young rider classification.