Tour De France 2014 Results, Video Highlights, Classification: Vincenzo Nibali Takes Stage 18 to Extend Yellow Jersey Lead

Created by Paul John Rivera Jul 24 2014, 17:08 PM EDT

Vincenzo Nibali solidified his grip on the overall lead after scoring an impressive win in the 18th stage of Tour De France 2014 on Thursday.

Nibali punctuated his dominance in this year's Le Tour after finishing 70 seconds ahead of Thibaut Pinot in the 144.5-kilometer race from Pau to Hautacam, which featured two categorized climbs, including an uphill finish.

"It's fantastic to have won four stages. I didn't believe I'd do that," Nibali said in an interview via BBC. "There aren't many stages till the finish now and my lead is consolidated. I'm pretty serene. I've wanted to leave a footprint in the Pyrenees. I wanted to show that I'm the strongest, I wanted the stage win."

Below is the top 10 finishers on Thursday's race:

Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Astana) 4hrs 04mins 17secs
Thibaut Pinot (Fra/FDJ.fr) +1min 10secs
Rafal Majka (Pol/Tinkoff - Saxo) +1min 12secs
Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra/AG2R) +1min 15secs
Tejay van Garderen (US/BMC Racing) Same time
Romain Bardet (Fra/AG2R) +1min 53secs
Bauke Mollema (Ned/Belkin) +1min 57secs
Leopold Koenig (Cze/NetApp Endura) Same time
Haimar Zubeldia (Spa/Trek) +1min 59secs
Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) Same time

With the win, the Astana rider extended his overall lead and is now a heavy favorite to win this year's race barring any unforeseen turn of events in the final three stages of the tour.

Nibali is now seven minutes, 10 seconds ahead of Pinot in the general classification and seven minutes, 23 seconds ahead of AG2R rider Jean-Christophe Peraud.

Alejandro Valverde, who is second in the overall standings heading into Thursday's race, dropped to fourth and is now seven minutes, 25 seconds behind Nibali.

"I'm very happy with this stage win, and certainly I've accumulated a healthy advantage, so I can remain calm for the next stages and Saturday's time trial," Nibali said via The New York Times.

Below is the top 5 riders in general classification after 18 stages: