Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[ILovecycling]

Never read such stupid comments about a triple GT winner. He (the Shark) was the first to say he wants a Giro-Tour. He (the Shark) entered le Tour with defending champion CF and best decade GT rider AC. He (the Shark) was the closest one to a double (last year) and still able to aim at worlds. Everything else is just keyboards warriors fantasies. I will go to watch him in Prato tomorrow. Good luck to Alberto and Chris. They will need it.

Ok, looks at this list

Anquetil
Gimondi
Contador
Merckx
Hinault
Nibali

It just feels strange

 

[IronCQ]

It's not strange at all. I see a list of awesome racers. I just don't put the fanboy sunglasses, my favorites riders already retired all so I can enjoy a race for what it is. And I'm not contesting Alberto being bigger than Nibali (his palamres speaks clearly), but I give kudos for what I see, not for what I would like to see.

 

[Rollthedice]

Ok, looks at this list

Anquetil
Gimondi
Contador
Merckx
Hinault
Nibali

It just feels strange

What feels strange?

 

[ILovecycling]

What feels strange?

uhh

Nibali - Hinault
Nibali - Anquetil
Nibali - Contador

you see? it just doesnt fit, its like comparing very very good rider with legend rider. I was there to congratulate Nibs for it, but it is certainly strange that the is int the all GT club.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Never read such stupid comments about a triple GT winner. He (the Shark) was the first to say he wants a Giro-Tour. He (the Shark) entered le Tour with defending champion CF and best decade GT rider AC. He (the Shark) was the closest one to a double (last year) and still able to aim at worlds. Everything else is just keyboards warriors fantasies. I will go to watch him in Prato tomorrow. Good luck to Alberto and Chris. They will need it.

Wow dude

 

[Rollthedice]

uhh

Nibali - Hinault
Nibali - Anquetil
Nibali - Contador

you see? it just doesnt fit, its like comparing very very good rider with legend rider. I was there to congratulate Nibs for it, but it is certainly strange that the is int the all GT club.

What you posted has nothing to do with "legend", that is the list of the six riders in the history of this sport who won all three GTs. If you want to compile a "legend" list to suit your imagination feel free.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

I have never touched it either and I dont think its any tough or anything, dont make it such a big deal (altough I understand what happened to your grandpa)
anyway kudos to you

even though my grandpa actually died from lung cancer, the point of the post was mostly to screw/joke with TANK (read the last sentence again ).

 

[ILovecycling]

even though my grandpa actually died from lung cancer, the point of the post was mostly to screw/joke with TANK (read the last sentence again ).

ten characters

 

[icefire]

uhh

Nibali - Hinault
Nibali - Anquetil
Nibali - Contador

you see? it just doesnt fit, its like comparing very very good rider with legend rider. I was there to congratulate Nibs for it, but it is certainly strange that the is int the all GT club.

This fits better
Nibali - Gimondi

 

[ILovecycling]

What you posted has nothing to do with "legend", that is the list of the six riders in the history of this sport who won all three GTs. If you want to compile a "legend" list to suit your imagination feel free.

you didnt answer to mine point, but nvm...

 

[cineteq]

Never read such stupid comments about a triple GT winner. He (the Shark) was the first to say he wants a Giro-Tour. He (the Shark) entered le Tour with defending champion CF and best decade GT rider AC. He (the Shark) was the closest one to a double (last year) and still able to aim at worlds. Everything else is just keyboards warriors fantasies. I will go to watch him in Prato tomorrow. Good luck to Alberto and Chris. They will need it.

You're a very objective observer. Congrats. It's funny to see so many fanboys' making all kind of extemporaneous arguments.

 

[pigoonse]

Ok, looks at this list

Anquetil
Gimondi
Contador
Merckx
Hinault
Nibali

It just feels strange

It's the list of riders that have won all three GT's. Looking at all of their palmares, I can see how Nibali appears out of place. Nonetheless, Nibs has won all three GT's. Nibali still has time to pump up his palmares. Maybe it won't feel so weird by the time he retires.

To me it doesn't feel at all strange to see Nibs in that list. But I am a Nibs fan. Does it automatically elevate him to legendary status to be on the list? Of course not. But it does get him credit for mastering the different challenges and skills required to win all three distinctly different GT's.

 

[Afrank]

It's the list of riders that have won all three GT's. Looking at all of their palmares, I can see how Nibali appears out of place. Nonetheless, Nibs has won all three GT's. Nibali still has time to pump up his palmares. Maybe it won't feel so weird by the time he retires.

To me it doesn't feel at all strange to see Nibs in that list. But I am a Nibs fan. Does it automatically elevate him to legendary status to be on the list? Of course not. But it does get him credit for mastering the different challenges and skills required to win all three distinctly different GT's.

+1, agree. I have no doubt that palmares wise Nibali is just getting started. We'll see much more from him between now and when he eventually retires. He's 29 right now, right when a GT rider begin to hit their prime. I don't find him being in the list strange at all either.

 

[Carols]

uhh

Nibali - Hinault
Nibali - Anquetil
Nibali - Contador

you see? it just doesnt fit, its like comparing very very good rider with legend rider. I was there to congratulate Nibs for it, but it is certainly strange that the is int the all GT club.

Alberto hit that list in 2008 with a total of 3 GT wins. Did you think he fit then? His palmares weren't legendary then either.

As I've said before, time and history determine greatness. Nibali has plenty of time to write his story and cycling history has plenty of time afterwards to determine his greatness.

 

[icefire]

Alberto hit that list in 2008 with a total of 3 GT wins. Did you think he fit then? His palmares weren't legendary then either.

As I've said before, time and history determine greatness. Nibali has plenty of time to write his story and cycling history has plenty of time afterwards to determine his greatness.

You need to look at this from a different perspective.

Contador started winning the Tour. Then he was forced to do the Giro-Vuelta and bang! bang! When he was allowed to go back to the Tour, bang! After that he's showed weakness in the Tour but every time he's raced Giro or Vuelta he's done his bang thing.

Nibali started winning a weak Vuelta and then failed at his first attempts to win the other two.

 

[Carols]

You need to look at this from a different perspective.

Contador started winning the Tour. Then he was forced to do the Giro-Vuelta and bang! bang! When he was allowed to go back to the Tour, bang! After that he's showed weakness in the Tour but every time he's raced Giro or Vuelta he's done his bang thing.

That is called history my friend . In 2008 it was Potential. He went on to write his history and continues to do so.

Nibali will continue to write his. Time and history will judge his results. Right now he has done what only 5 others have accomplished in the history of the sport.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Ok, looks at this list

Anquetil
Gimondi
Contador
Merckx
Hinault
Nibali

It just feels strange

I see your point and feel the same way but alas, his name is on the list and there's nothing we can do about it.

 

[ILovecycling]

It's the list of riders that have won all three GT's. Looking at all of their palmares, I can see how Nibali appears out of place. Nonetheless, Nibs has won all three GT's. Nibali still has time to pump up his palmares. Maybe it won't feel so weird by the time he retires.

To me it doesn't feel at all strange to see Nibs in that list. But I am a Nibs fan. Does it automatically elevate him to legendary status to be on the list? Of course not. But it does get him credit for mastering the different challenges and skills required to win all three distinctly different GT's.

Alberto hit that list in 2008 with a total of 3 GT wins. Did you think he fit then? His palmares weren't legendary then either.

As I've said before, time and history determine greatness. Nibali has plenty of time to write his story and cycling history has plenty of time afterwards to determine his greatness.

+1 to both fo you,and I hope he will live up to further expectations to look comfortable (to me) on that list

I see your point and feel the same way but alas, his name is on the list and there's nothing we can do about it.

I think lot of cycling fans, we are not alone

 

[Arredondo]

+1 to both fo you,and I hope he will live up to further expectations to look comfortable (to me) on that list

I think lot of cycling fans, we are not alone

You're definitely not alone

 

[Afrank]

You need to look at this from a different perspective.

Contador started winning the Tour. Then he was forced to do the Giro-Vuelta and bang! bang! When he was allowed to go back to the Tour, bang! After that he's showed weakness in the Tour but every time he's raced Giro or Vuelta he's done his bang thing.

Nibali started winning a weak Vuelta and then failed at his first attempts to win the other two.

IMO in this instance it matters little how he has written his story so far, but instead how that story will read in the end.

 

[Walkman]

He would wait to see if the routes were managebale to ride in 1 year (not to hard)
Yea the tour this year started out with 0 competition
And he rode the giro last year solely because he was afraid of the other gt rider, not because he wanted to wn his home gt for the first time or anything

I agree with you on this. I think AC has a chance at doing it (slim one), but no way Nibali can win both. Would like to see him use giro as a prep though, and ride for Aru.

Yes he always try to avoid them, and obviously his only goal this year was TDF because he already knew Contador and Froome would have crash and then abandon

LOL! Actually Contador and Froome found a way not to finish the Tour, that was a great strategy.

You are misinterpreting my post.

I never said Nibali was/is afraid but I think he is weighing the pros and cons before deciding which race to target which is the smartest thing to do if you ask me. He raced the Tour in 2009 and was far from competing for the win and hence he avoided the Tour during the two following years and focused on the other GT:s and accomplished some great results. Then in 2012 he came back to the Tour and did managed to claim a podium spot but was still far from Froome and Wiggins so next year, he once again focused on the Giro and the Vuelta and again did two great results!

This year he came back to the Tour to test himself against the best riders and did came out on top, although he was fortuned to have his competition reduced due to crashing.

So for next year, I am curious to see if he will go to the Giro because, why would he?! He is the defending Tour champion and I highly doubt he really thinks he can do the Giro and then come to the Tour and climb with Froome and Nairo, so why do the Giro? I am puzzled. Does he really value the Giro equal or higher than the Tour or does he believe he has a better shot at the Giro and thus want to maximize his results given his capacity?

 

[Afrank]

Looked back at a few article about Nibali's Giro-Tour ambitions and one of them made the point the last rider to achieve the double was Pantani. Nibali holds Pantani in high esteem and knows his mother personally.

Maybe his ambitions to win the double have to do with wanting achieving the same greatness as Pantani did or even surpassing it. Coming fresh off his Tour win and currently in the prime of his career, if he ever was going to attempt a Giro-Tour campaign the time may never be better then right now.

 

[SafeBet]

You are misinterpreting my post.

I never said Nibali was/is afraid but I think he is weighing the pros and cons before deciding which race to target which is the smartest thing to do if you ask me. He raced the Tour in 2009 and was far from competing for the win and hence he avoided the Tour during the two following years and focused on the other GT:s and accomplished some great results. Then in 2012 he came back to the Tour and did managed to claim a podium spot but was still far from Froome and Wiggins so next year, he once again focused on the Giro and the Vuelta and again did two great results!

This year he came back to the Tour to test himself against the best riders and did came out on top, although he was fortuned to have his competition reduced due to crashing.

So for next year, I am curious to see if he will go to the Giro because, why would he?! He is the defending Tour champion and I highly doubt he really thinks he can do the Giro and then come to the Tour and climb with Froome and Nairo, so why do the Giro? I am puzzled. Does he really value the Giro equal or higher than the Tour or does he believe he has a better shot at the Giro and thus want to maximize his results given his capacity?

Giro is at least as important as Tour to most Italian riders. There are a few exceptions (Pantani for instance) but that's the general rule when trying to figure Italian riders schedule. Now it's true that going back to his early years Nibs showed a preference for the Tour but I'm not sure about it now.

 

[Dr. Juice]

Next year people will realise that riding Giro and Tour in top shape is more than possible with a specific preparation and a human Giro ( not like 2011).

Both Contador and Nibali will be fine.

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

You are misinterpreting my post.

I never said Nibali was/is afraid but I think he is weighing the pros and cons before deciding which race to target which is the smartest thing to do if you ask me. He raced the Tour in 2009 and was far from competing for the win and hence he avoided the Tour during the two following years and focused on the other GT:s and accomplished some great results.

Then in 2012 he came back to the Tour and did managed to claim a podium spot but was still far from Froome and Wiggins so next year, he once again focused on the Giro and the Vuelta and again did two great results!

Still got most of it wrong. He didn't avoid the Tour for 2 years after 2009 because he was far from competing for the win, he went to the Giro 2010 on very short notice after Pellizotti was "biopassported" a few days before the start. His original program was Tour, like Kreuziger, while the 2 team leaders, Basso and Pellizotti were going to go for the Giro. Pellizotti out=Nibali does the Giro. Until 2010 Nibali didn't have the standing to say what he was going to ride anyway... Di Luca, Pellizotti and Basso the present, they decide what they want, Nibali and Kreuziger the future, build them up slowly.
In 2011 of course Nibali was the clear nr 2 in the team. Nr 1 Basso. And Basso wanted to have another go at the Tour. Nibali Giro-Vuelta again. And even in 2012 he wasn't the clear nr 1 in the team, probably Basso-Nibali at a similar level, Basso Giro, Nibali Tour made sense.
From 2013 on, yes, it's really Nibali who can say what he wants, and he gets his program, before lots of it was decided by the team, or by looking at the co leader.

When he "avoided" the TdF it was the same situation it's going to be with Aru in 2015. Nibali most likely will want the Giro and the Tour. Aru... he probably gets to chose between Giro and Tour as nr 2, possibility to get the nr 1 spot if Nibali for some reason (crash, not in top form since he tries the TdF later, tired from the Giro earlier etc etc.) doesn't deliver.

So for next year, I am curious to see if he will go to the Giro because, why would he?!

He's Italian.