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Re: Re:
What? Next year or this year? Unless he gets his *** together again and truly wants to live like a monk to achieve it, then it's not worth going to the Tour. Not this year, not in any yearlenric said:
Re: Re:
Even if he lives like a monk and escalates the Everest twice a week for a year he won't win the Tour. That ship has already sailed away. He just doesn't have it anymore and there are others on the rise.
Red Rick said:
Even if he lives like a monk and escalates the Everest twice a week for a year he won't win the Tour. That ship has already sailed away. He just doesn't have it anymore and there are others on the rise.
At least it might make the difference between putting up a performance that makes going to the Tour worthwile.
Nibali is at a weird crossroads in his career. He's won everything he realistically can win, he's still competitive for the big targets he has, but he's always walking a fine line between being competitive and being ***.
Nibali is at a weird crossroads in his career. He's won everything he realistically can win, he's still competitive for the big targets he has, but he's always walking a fine line between being competitive and being ***.
Re:
Crossroad indeed. That's why I think he shouldn't waste a year doing a lot of sacrifices to go for the Tour. I mean, he is better this year than in the last, but in 2018 he will be 34. Going to the Tour is wasting what could possibly be the last year of his career where he can show he can still contest a GT, so imo he should ride either the Giro, or the Vuelta.
Being competitive at the Tour simply isn't enough for him and I can't really see him doing a top-5 next year with the likes of Froome, Porte, Pinot, Dumoulin, Quintana and a couple more others.
But then again, like you said, he has won everything a GT rider can win, so I guess he has nothing to lose (maybe his ego).
Red Rick said:
Crossroad indeed. That's why I think he shouldn't waste a year doing a lot of sacrifices to go for the Tour. I mean, he is better this year than in the last, but in 2018 he will be 34. Going to the Tour is wasting what could possibly be the last year of his career where he can show he can still contest a GT, so imo he should ride either the Giro, or the Vuelta.
Being competitive at the Tour simply isn't enough for him and I can't really see him doing a top-5 next year with the likes of Froome, Porte, Pinot, Dumoulin, Quintana and a couple more others.
But then again, like you said, he has won everything a GT rider can win, so I guess he has nothing to lose (maybe his ego).
It is about next year. He has to do Le Tour, give it another shot, Bahrain needs it, the sponsors need it. He is convinced he has four more good years in him. Sure he'll be crap all year and chances to win the Tour are slim but I'm sure he'll go down with all guns blazing and another controversy with Froome will entertain us.
Re: Re:
I agree. This will be the best option for him, and I just want to see him focus on the classics one last time. Maybe a Liege if the course changes, and even some of the cobbled ones for fun.Sciocco said:
If he wins the Giro he won't change his focus. He will believe he still has a shot at GTs. Hell even if he doesn't win, being on Quintana's level for 3 weeks will convince him he still has what it takes to win a GT.
Re: Re:
No he isn't. Last year's Nibali would locked this race long time ago...
lenric said:
No he isn't. Last year's Nibali would locked this race long time ago...
Re: Re:
WTF? He is about same age next year as Berto this year! Flo wiĺl kill you on that comment.
Btw. This Giro is Nibs to lose
lenric said:Rollthedice said:
Yeah, who knows. Maybe he has some Papi Horner soul in him.
WTF? He is about same age next year as Berto this year! Flo wiĺl kill you on that comment.
Btw. This Giro is Nibs to lose
Re: Re:
This is his main target.
As said sometime ago, he wanted to exit with all 3 GT's, Monument, Classic, WCRR and Olympics in his palmares. Not bad target to be legend ( over any rider since 70's). Well we know what happened in Rio, but Olympics might be least memorable of those all.
Sciocco said:
This is his main target.
As said sometime ago, he wanted to exit with all 3 GT's, Monument, Classic, WCRR and Olympics in his palmares. Not bad target to be legend ( over any rider since 70's). Well we know what happened in Rio, but Olympics might be least memorable of those all.
Re: Re:
If I were him, crashing in the Olympics would be one of the few things that haunted me.
bambino said:
If I were him, crashing in the Olympics would be one of the few things that haunted me.
Re: Nibali discussion thread
I've been, at times, put off by Nibili's attitude, but have to admit here he's been impeccable.
A paraphrase of his interview over the incident in la Gazzetta dello Sport makes this clear. Nibali: "Having heard his remarks, I almost wanted to say, 'Hey, woah, now hold your horses there fella, I've already won two Giros, so it's up to you to win this one.' Besides we're not the only ones to risk loosing the podium. Tom should be careful, because if we decide not to follow other GC contenders like Pinot or Zacharin in the next days, he could very well loose the podium. Today Nairo and I attacked to drop the Pink Jersey. There were several digs in succession, but when Pinot launched the 5th attack, it was up to Tom to bring him back. He's got the Pink Jersey after all. The Pink Jersey needs to take his responsibility for winning the Giro. We're certainly not here to work for him, to escort him in a litter back up to the moves, then just shake his hand in Milano and say 'Well done, bravo!' To the contrary, each rider has his own objectives and adopts the strategy he deems best suited to meet them. When Pinot attacked after Nairo and I had gone previously, I prefered to play my cards from behind the scene. Second or third mean nothing to me. I'm here to fight with all my energy and savey to get the job done. Tom's been very strong and it will be extremely difficult to unseat him, but comments like his are just cocky. I was never so cocky in my emerging years and always tried to learn from the champions before me. He should know there's such a thing as karma, so what goes around comes around."
Impeccable.
del1962 said:
I've been, at times, put off by Nibili's attitude, but have to admit here he's been impeccable.
A paraphrase of his interview over the incident in la Gazzetta dello Sport makes this clear. Nibali: "Having heard his remarks, I almost wanted to say, 'Hey, woah, now hold your horses there fella, I've already won two Giros, so it's up to you to win this one.' Besides we're not the only ones to risk loosing the podium. Tom should be careful, because if we decide not to follow other GC contenders like Pinot or Zacharin in the next days, he could very well loose the podium. Today Nairo and I attacked to drop the Pink Jersey. There were several digs in succession, but when Pinot launched the 5th attack, it was up to Tom to bring him back. He's got the Pink Jersey after all. The Pink Jersey needs to take his responsibility for winning the Giro. We're certainly not here to work for him, to escort him in a litter back up to the moves, then just shake his hand in Milano and say 'Well done, bravo!' To the contrary, each rider has his own objectives and adopts the strategy he deems best suited to meet them. When Pinot attacked after Nairo and I had gone previously, I prefered to play my cards from behind the scene. Second or third mean nothing to me. I'm here to fight with all my energy and savey to get the job done. Tom's been very strong and it will be extremely difficult to unseat him, but comments like his are just cocky. I was never so cocky in my emerging years and always tried to learn from the champions before me. He should know there's such a thing as karma, so what goes around comes around."
Impeccable.
Re: Re:
What a crap
you can say the same about Contador or Quintana right now with performance they are doing, in your world only froome can do Tour because noone else have chance to win
lenric said:
What a crap
you can say the same about Contador or Quintana right now with performance they are doing, in your world only froome can do Tour because noone else have chance to win
According to him, the level of this Giro is incredibly high, higher than last year for sure. He said yesterday's climb to Piancavallo was one of the fastest of his career.
Re: Re:
I think he would be better off resting up and doing the Vuelta, the same goes for all of the GC riders in the Giro. Maybe it's the team more than Nibali that wants to be there. New team, high profile race and all that. Of course Pinot will probably be expected to do the Tour. Looking at the riders yesterday I can't see many of them doing anything much in the Tour. Even Landa and Rolland have been in multiple breaks.
lenric said:
I think he would be better off resting up and doing the Vuelta, the same goes for all of the GC riders in the Giro. Maybe it's the team more than Nibali that wants to be there. New team, high profile race and all that. Of course Pinot will probably be expected to do the Tour. Looking at the riders yesterday I can't see many of them doing anything much in the Tour. Even Landa and Rolland have been in multiple breaks.
Re: Re:
It is about 2018. Nothing has been decided about what happens after the Giro.
movingtarget said:
It is about 2018. Nothing has been decided about what happens after the Giro.
I want to see Nibali in proper shape against Valverde and Chaves again in the Vuelta like last year's Giro, along with Froome and probably even Alberto?
Yeah, me too. But I haven't heard much from the Contador side about riding the Vuelta as well. He didn't seem to like the parcours too much.
Anyway, Nibali for 2018 Tour is a bummer. I had hoped to get both Contador and Nibali in the 2018 Giro in a good shape to finally have a good fight between the two old warriors as a last hurrah. That is if Contador takes the extension at least.
Anyway, Nibali for 2018 Tour is a bummer. I had hoped to get both Contador and Nibali in the 2018 Giro in a good shape to finally have a good fight between the two old warriors as a last hurrah. That is if Contador takes the extension at least.
Re: Re:
Wrong. Alberto is two years older than him.
Nibali was born on 1984. Alberto was born on 1982.
bambino said:lenric said:Rollthedice said:
Yeah, who knows. Maybe he has some Papi Horner soul in him.
WTF? He is about same age next year as Berto this year! Flo wiĺl kill you on that comment.
Btw. This Giro is Nibs to lose
Wrong. Alberto is two years older than him.
Nibali was born on 1984. Alberto was born on 1982.
Is anybody expecting him to try on Grappa already?
I think his Giro has been good, if unspectacular, thus far. I wasn't expecting much better than this. One thing to consider is that weather has always been perfect in these first 19 stages. Nibali normally benefits from a couple of cold/rainy days, he tends to recover very well while others might get sick or suffer from bad weather. My feeling is that he's fading a bit, but I had the same feeling during the 2013 Vuelta and then he delivered one of his finest performances up the Angliru.
I also wish he'll ride the Vuelta.
I think his Giro has been good, if unspectacular, thus far. I wasn't expecting much better than this. One thing to consider is that weather has always been perfect in these first 19 stages. Nibali normally benefits from a couple of cold/rainy days, he tends to recover very well while others might get sick or suffer from bad weather. My feeling is that he's fading a bit, but I had the same feeling during the 2013 Vuelta and then he delivered one of his finest performances up the Angliru.
I also wish he'll ride the Vuelta.
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