Toledo - Belgian Philippe Gilbert proved he was on track for cycling's world championships with his second stage win in the Tour of Spain on Friday.
The Omega Pharma-Lotto rider burst clear with 600 metres to go as the bunch broke apart on a twisting uphill finish in Toledo's old quarter.
Second behind Gilbert was American Tyler Farrar. Italian Filippo Pozzato took third and overall leader Vincenzo Nibali of Italy placed sixth in a front group of 11 riders.
After receiving a two-metre sword as a bonus prize for his victory, Gilbert said a second stage win was exactly the confidence-booster he needed for his next big target, the world championship race in Melbourne on Oct. 3.
"I'm on the right road for Australia," the Belgian classics specialist told reporters. "A stage win right at the end of the race is just what I needed to be sure everything is going fine.
"It was a very technical finish but I followed (Briton) David Millar when he went away on the climb with Farrar.
"His move provided me with exactly the platform I needed to grab the win myself."
Last October, Gilbert won two major classics -- Paris-Tours and the Tour of Lombardy.
"If I recover well after my flight back home from Australia, I'll go for those classics again," he said. "But for now the world championships is the last big goal of 2010."
Race leader Nibali stretched his overall advantage on closest rival Ezequiel Mosquera to 50 seconds after the Spaniard was briefly blocked by a late crash.
The Italian admitted that the 12 additional seconds he gained on Mosquera were a welcome bonus ahead of Saturday's mountain stage to the Bola de Mundo.
"Ezequiel's a great climber and I'll need all the advantage I can get," he told reporters.
Defending world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland quit the Tour of Spain during the stage, while his team mate Frank Schleck of Luxembourg, fifth overall, suffered a puncture and skidded towards the barriers near the finish but completed the course.
The race ends on Sunday in Madrid.
Results:
1. Philippe Gilbert, Belgium, Pharma-Lotto, 5 hours, 43 minutes, 41 seconds.
2. Tyler Farrar, United States, Garmin-Slipstream, same time.
3. Filippo Pozzato, Italy, Team Katusha, 1 second behind.
4. Sebastien Hinault, France, AG2R La Mondiale, same time.
5. Peter Velilts, Slovakia, HTC-Columbia, same time.
6. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy, Liquigas-Doimo, same time.
7. Nikolas Maes, Italy, QuickStep, same time.
8. Grega Bole, Slovenia, Lampre-Farnese, same time.
9. Daniele Bennati, Italy, Liquigas, same time.
10. Paul Voss, Germany, Team Milram, same time.
Overall Standings
1. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy, Liquigas-Doimo, 80 hours, 30 minutes, 48 seconds.
2. Ezequiel Mosquera, Spain, Xacobeo Galicia, 50 seconds behind.
3. Peter Velilts, Slovakia, HTC-Columbia, 1:59.
4. Joaquin Rodriguez, Spain, Team Katusha, 3:54.
5. Frank Schleck, Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank, 3:57.
6. Xavier Tondo, Spain, Cervelo, 4:02.
7. Nicholas Roche, Ireland, AG2R La Mondiale, 4:10.
8. Thomas Danielson, United States, Garmin-Slipstream, 4:12.
9. Carlos Sastre, Spain, Cervelo, 4:28.
10. Luis Leon Sanchez, Spain, Caisse d'Epargne, 5:50.