Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

His palmares absolutely do not belong with the top tier of all time greats. Winning all three GTs for instance sounds very impressive but it is worth a lot less than winning three Tours. As a GT rider, his main specialty, he isn’t even a contender for the top 10 of all time. When you start including undisputed greats who weren’t primarily GT GC men, like Kelly, De Vlaeminck or Van Looy, he isn’t even a contender for top 20.

The issue to assess with Nibali is if he’s in the top half dozen riders of his own period, ie where he ranks against the Contadors, Cancellaras, Boonens, Froomes of this world.

Hopefully we will be able to discuss more on the subject at the end of this year. He still rides, his career is not over yet and I bet it feels good to be the only active rider who won all three Grand Tours. Don't you think?

I’m sure it feels great. He’s had an excellent career and has more wins in him. I just find it a bit weird that some people seem to think it’s dismissive of him to say something as obvious as “Nibali is not one of the all time greats but is one of the best of his era”.

 

[Rollthedice]

 

[bambino]

Re:

Classy, very classy.

 

[skippo12]

Was strange to see Nibali working in a sprint train but he did a really good job. He can really push the pace...especially if you consider his weight. Next to Terpstra and Lampaert on the flat. I wonder how many climbers can do the same?
Seriously...always nice to see the leader of a team helping his teammates in smaller races.

 

[Red Rick]

Was strange to see Nibali working in a sprint train but he did a really good job. He can really push the pace...especially if you consider his weight. Next to Terpstra and Lampaert on the flat. I wonder how many climbers can do the same?
Seriously...always nice to see the leader of a team helping his teammates in smaller races.

Well, we know that Contador sucked at pacing a sprint train, to the surprise of nobody.

He tried to help lead out Bennati on the last stage of the '13 Tour, and people just looked at him like he was stupid.

 

[El Pistolero]

Re: Re:

The comparison with Kelly is nonsense. Nibali is a very succesful GT rider who has won and podiumed one day races throughout his ongoing career and this includes one monument won two times. Kelly was a very successful one day and shorter stage races rider who also has won one GT. A more suitable comparison would be with Felice Gimondi. Vincenzo needs to win in Innsbruck bag another GT and a couple of monuments and they are even. It's doable.

A much more realistic comparison! Nibali is no Kelly and Kelly is no Nibali!

Comparing him with Kelly, or any of the real all time top handful of riders is just trolling. I say that as someone who admires Nibali a lot.

In fairness, with wins in all 3 GTs, 2 Lombardia, and podiums in LBL and MSR, Nibbles has every right to a seat at the top table himself. The comparison to Kelly falls apart for several other reasons, but quality of palmares isn’t one of them.

His palmares absolutely do not belong with the top tier of all time greats. Winning all three GTs for instance sounds very impressive but it is worth a lot less than winning three Tours. As a GT rider, his main specialty, he isn’t even a contender for the top 10 of all time. When you start including undisputed greats who weren’t primarily GT GC men, like Kelly, De Vlaeminck or Van Looy, he isn’t even a contender for top 20.

The issue to assess with Nibali is if he’s in the top half dozen riders of his own period, ie where he ranks against the Contadors, Cancellaras, Boonens, Froomes of this world.

Froome's a donkey, why are you including him in that list?

 

[Red Rick]

Honestly I could find a reason to put Nibali's name at the very top of the list. He's not far off by any stretch of the imagination

 

[bambino]

Re:

Honestly I could find a reason to put Nibali's name at the very top of the list. He's not far off by any stretch of the imagination

To me it is not even difficult to find that reason. And won't be to anyone by the time he retires with 2 GT's, 2-3 Monumets and WCRR in addittion to the current palmares.

 

[Tonton]

The predictions thread foresees a big season for Il Squalo. He's one of my favorite riders, so I'm happy. It goes to show how love comes and goes...his TdF win way underrated, and as time goes by Vincenzo is getting credit for being smart, a master tactician, it's nice to see.

 

[Lo squalo di messina]

So there s a piece in belgian newspaper het nieuwsblad on nibali s ronde ambitions. It says nibali and colbrelli get along really well and apparently nibs is gonna work for sonny. His goal is to get a feel for the cobbles again in light of the tdf stage. I saw nibali already putting in lots of work for colbrelli in the dubai tour so i can believe it.
He also wants to ride roubaix one day.

 

[Rollthedice]

So there s a piece in belgian newspaper het nieuwsblad on nibali s ronde ambitions. It says nibali and colbrelli get along really well and apparently nibs is gonna work for sonny. His goal is to get a feel for the cobbles again in light of the tdf stage. I saw nibali already putting in lots of work for colbrelli in the dubai tour so i can believe it.
He also wants to ride roubaix one day.

Read somewhere that Sonny will be in the team for TdF, first it seemed odd but now it seems plausible. Could be of great help in the Roubaix stage.

 

[Lo squalo di messina]

So there s a piece in belgian newspaper het nieuwsblad on nibali s ronde ambitions. It says nibali and colbrelli get along really well and apparently nibs is gonna work for sonny. His goal is to get a feel for the cobbles again in light of the tdf stage. I saw nibali already putting in lots of work for colbrelli in the dubai tour so i can believe it.
He also wants to ride roubaix one day.

Read somewhere that Sonny will be in the team for TdF, first it seemed odd but now it seems plausible. Could be of great help in the Roubaix stage.

Yeh maybe they should bring sonny. That way he can go for stage wins too and not all the pressure is on nibs to deliver results. Havent had a look at the tdf parcours yet though so i dont know if it has anything for colbrelli.
Commercially i would also be viable to have sonny at the tour. Dude has lots of fans, even in my country.

 

[Netserk]

The stage to Quimper should suit him, Carcassonne as well.

 

[May0maniac]

So there s a piece in belgian newspaper het nieuwsblad on nibali s ronde ambitions. It says nibali and colbrelli get along really well and apparently nibs is gonna work for sonny. His goal is to get a feel for the cobbles again in light of the tdf stage. I saw nibali already putting in lots of work for colbrelli in the dubai tour so i can believe it.
He also wants to ride roubaix one day.

Read somewhere that Sonny will be in the team for TdF, first it seemed odd but now it seems plausible. Could be of great help in the Roubaix stage.

Yeh maybe they should bring sonny. That way he can go for stage wins too and not all the pressure is on nibs to deliver results. Havent had a look at the tdf parcours yet though so i dont know if it has anything for colbrelli.
Commercially i would also be viable to have sonny at the tour. Dude has lots of fans, even in my country.

The other thing is that Haussler had another injury and we still don't know if he'll be the same rider that he used to be before his injuries, otherwise he should be the first choice to help Nibali on the cobbles in the Tour.

 

[Rollthedice]

One logical possible team for Vincenzo could be Domenico Pozzovivo, Franco Pellizotti, Ion Izagirre, Gorka Izagirre, Ramunas Navardauskas, Sonny Colbrelli and Kristijan Koren. Looks good, hopefully everybody will stay safe until July.

 

[Netserk]

Perhaps Boaro or Siutsou for the TTT?

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Perhaps Boaro or Siutsou for the TTT?

Before San Juan they said that they still don't know if Siutsou will be the rider that he used to be after coming back from that horrible crash.

 

[Netserk]

Oh, ***; I completely forgot about that.

 

[Lo squalo di messina]

Re:

One logical possible team for Vincenzo could be Domenico Pozzovivo, Franco Pellizotti, Ion Izagirre, Gorka Izagirre, Ramunas Navardauskas, Sonny Colbrelli and Kristijan Koren. Looks good, hopefully everybody will stay safe until July.

Quite an improvement compared to last year. At least they have some kind of choice now on what riders to bring.
I dont know if i would bring haussler to a 3 week stage race tbh.

 

[Red Rick]

16th today at 26s. Seems a fair bit better than last year, about a month until the Ardennes

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

16th today at 26s. Seems a fair bit better than last year, about a month until the Ardennes

Yeah and more importantly he only lost 6s to the main group yesterday on a 20% finish, which bodes well for April. I'm expecting/hoping a kamikaze attack tomorrow, especially as bahrain also have Pozzo high in GC.

 

[Sestriere]

Re:

16th today at 26s. Seems a fair bit better than last year, about a month until the Ardennes

I agree he seems allright. Still, I hoped for a bit more after he was quite good on the murito yesterday by his standards. Probably it was just me though since Lombardia seems ages ago now, I definetely need my Vincenzo-on-fire dose again

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah, looks good for the Ardennes, I guess, but he needs to be in absolute top shape to win L-B-L. The other two he really doesn't stand a chance. It bodes well for the Tour that the Izagirre brothers are doing well, they will be able to help him in all sorts of terrain, but especially the TTT and mountains. Two great and versatile domestiques.

 

[DNP-Old]

I am very eager to see how he does in the Ronde. He needs to be an example to all those other climbers that it is possible for them to play their part in that race. Valverde could win that thing.

 

[Netserk]

Re:

I am very eager to see how he does in the Ronde. He needs to be an example to all those other climbers that it is possible for them to play their part in that race. Valverde could win that thing.

:lol:

This takes the biscuit as this week's most fruity statement.