( CNN ) -- With the last day of the Tour de France usually uneventful as it relates to changes in the overall lead , Saturday marked the last realistic opportunity someone could catch Vincenzo Nibali . But given his big advantage , that was always unlikely . And after Saturday 's penultimate stage , only a catastrophe can stop Nibali from becoming just the second Italian champion of cycling 's most coveted race in more than 45 years -- Marco Pantani was the last Italian winner in 1998 , preceding Lance Armstrong 's now tainted reign . As Germany 's Tony Martin claimed the 54-kilometer time trial from Bergerac to Perigueux , Nibali finished fourth . Crucially , though , he carries a nearly eight-minute lead into the final day , a 137.5-kilometer stretch from Evry to the Champs-Elysees in Paris . `` I have n't realized yet how big it is to win the Tour de France , '' Nibali of team Astana was quoted as saying by the Tour 's official website . `` I 'll keep that for tomorrow . `` It 's difficult to ride the Tour but the beauty of it is to cycle on the Champs-ElysÃ©es . That 's the biggest memory I 've kept from my first participation -- the lap of honor , the enormous number of people , Paris ' monuments . `` I 'll try to savor my victory as much as I can . Every moment will count . '' There has n't been a home champion since Bernard Hinault in 1985 and that drought looks set to continue but the good news for the French is that two riders -- Jean-Christophe Peraud and Thibaut Pinot -- should finish on the podium for the first time since 1984 . Peraud overtook Pinot for second . Peraud said the early exits of last year 's winner Chris Froome and former winner Alberto Contador due to wrist and shin injuries , respectively , allowed him to contemplate a runner-up placing . `` The withdrawals of Froome and Contador opened a range of possibilities and I started dreaming about this second place , '' he said . `` I 'm happy to have achieved that goal . `` I have a feeling of mission accomplished and a lot of joy today . '' Martin , a multiple world time trial champion from Germany , won his second stage of this year 's race in 1:06.21 , more than a minute-and-a-half quicker than Dutchman Tom Dumoulin .
Vincenzo Nibali of Italy closes in on a first Tour de France cycling title . Nibali carries a nearly eight-minute lead into Sunday 's final stage . Two Frenchmen are set to finish on the podium in Paris , pleasing home fans . Tony Martin of Germany wins the 20th stage , a time trial , by more than a minute .