Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[Sestriere]

During the last Igls passage Nibali was some 20 m behind the peloton when he passed me, my heart really sunk in that moment I have to say. Earlier in the day I thought he really looked great some nice spinning, Delfino always by his side. And when you see them live the pros really look amazing on their bikes (except Dan Martin). I had the pleasure to see Vincenzo in yellow in the Pyrenees so although the rainbow dreams are shattered I can remember that

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

During the last Igls passage Nibali was some 20 m behind the peloton when he passed me, my heart really sunk in that moment I have to say. Earlier in the day I thought he really looked great some nice spinning, Delfino always by his side. And when you see them live the pros really look amazing on their bikes (except Dan Martin). I had the pleasure to see Vincenzo in yellow in the Pyrenees so although the rainbow dreams are shattered I can remember that

Hopefully you had an otherwise great day. The rainbow dream was shattered on Alpe just that we didn't want to know.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

During the last Igls passage Nibali was some 20 m behind the peloton when he passed me, my heart really sunk in that moment I have to say. Earlier in the day I thought he really looked great some nice spinning, Delfino always by his side. And when you see them live the pros really look amazing on their bikes (except Dan Martin). I had the pleasure to see Vincenzo in yellow in the Pyrenees so although the rainbow dreams are shattered I can remember that

Hope you still had a good day.

 

[Oliver]

Not good as expected. What a disaster this season. I was excited he rode Liege, Tour and a World Championship which sould suit him.
Big disappointed. And that because of a stupid crash. Let him end his season because Lombardije would be a dissapointment too with this shape.
And I really hope he comes back next season.

 

[cellardoor]

Re:

Not good as expected. What a disaster this season. I was excited he rode Liege, Tour and a World Championship which sould suit him.
Big disappointed. And that because of a stupid crash. Let him end his season because Lombardije would be a dissapointment too with this shape.
And I really hope he comes back next season.

I don't think you can call it a disaster when he won Milan-San Remo, which was a career crowning moment.

 

[Sestriere]

@Rollthedice and Koronin
Yes it was still a good day, beautiful weather and atmosphere at the road, thank you.

 

[Oliver]

Re: Re:

Not good as expected. What a disaster this season. I was excited he rode Liege, Tour and a World Championship which sould suit him.
Big disappointed. And that because of a stupid crash. Let him end his season because Lombardije would be a dissapointment too with this shape.
And I really hope he comes back next season.

I don't think you can call it a disaster when he won Milan-San Remo, which was a career crowning moment.

Milaan San Remo is not enough for the whole season...

 

[Climbing]

Milan Sanremo is probably the greatest win in Nibali career though, mostly because it projected him in a new dimension, with a second type of monument.
Too bad a spectator destroyed the rest of season, hopefully not the rest of his career.
If he didn’t have his last chance for the rainbow, would have closed the season and started for 2019, but he couldn’t not try for it.
He looked serene even if a bit sad yesterday in the interview, he knew that he couldn’t have done more in the end.
Forza Vince!

 

[Red Rick]

Sanremo in name isn't enough for Nibali.

But I'll be damned if it wasn't the biggest piece of magic this season.

 

[Rollthedice]

In a season with two main goals, TdF and WC he won another big race, Sanremo was the impossible dream he has been trying to win numerous times. It will be interesting to see Lombardia if he shows some signs of improvement. Looking back at this year and how the races he targeted turned out, I think it would have been near impossible to overtake Thomas in Le Tour but the shape was there to grab a podium and later a stage in Vuelta. As for Innsbruck if fully fit and considering the race unfolded as it did, he most likely would of tried a "Valgren" which I think was the idea even in his current shape but he just blew up. I'm not sure if it would have been enough to win, that wall was a perfect fit for Valverde.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

In a season with two main goals, TdF and WC he won another big race, Sanremo was the impossible dream he has been trying to win numerous times. It will be interesting to see Lombardia if he shows some signs of improvement. Looking back at this year and how the races he targeted turned out, I think it would have been near impossible to overtake Thomas in Le Tour but the shape was there to grab a podium and later a stage in Vuelta. As for Innsbruck if fully fit and considering the race unfolded as it did, he most likely would of tried a "Valgren" which I think was the idea even in his current shape but he just blew up. I'm not sure if it would have been enough to win, that wall was a perfect fit for Valverde.

Valgren basically showed that if the form is really good you don't necessarily explode that badly on the final climb.

If Nibali is great shape, the entire race goes differntly, but I think he would have had a shot going midway the last climb of Igls.

 

[Carols]

Re: Re:

Not good as expected. What a disaster this season. I was excited he rode Liege, Tour and a World Championship which sould suit him.
Big disappointed. And that because of a stupid crash. Let him end his season because Lombardije would be a dissapointment too with this shape.
And I really hope he comes back next season.

I don't think you can call it a disaster when he won Milan-San Remo, which was a career crowning moment.

This. 98% of the peloton would be happy with a MSR win on the year! Of course Lo Squalo had much higher ambitions, but still hard to call it a disaster.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Not good as expected. What a disaster this season. I was excited he rode Liege, Tour and a World Championship which sould suit him.
Big disappointed. And that because of a stupid crash. Let him end his season because Lombardije would be a dissapointment too with this shape.
And I really hope he comes back next season.

I don't think you can call it a disaster when he won Milan-San Remo, which was a career crowning moment.

This. 98% of the peloton would be happy with a MSR win on the year! Of course Lo Squalo had much higher ambitions, but still hard to call it a disaster.

I like to think we can call it a disaster without it having the implication that it was Nibali's fault.

I hope he'll ride the fall classics and shows a glimmer of hope.

 

[Climbing]

"I’m disappointed with myself. At a certain point, I had a sudden black-out, I was spent. I paid for that acceleration from Kruijswijk. I was lacking explosivity and I wasn’t able to go into the red. After the Vuelta, I had some good responses, but it wasn’t enough. The only positive thing is that it was a demanding race, even faster than expected and, after all of my problems, I didn’t feel back pain. But it’s clear that I’ll have to work all winter."

Should race Tre Valli, Emilia and Lombardia, but from those comments it will probably be just for duty.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

"I paid for that acceleration from Kruijswijk

My nominee for unlikely sentence of the year

 

[Valv.Piti]

Could potentially still win Il Lombardia IMO with a bit (much) of luck and stuff, at least top-10.

 

[46&twoWheels]

Re: Re:

"I paid for that acceleration from Kruijswijk

My nominee for unlikely sentence of the year

to the people from the future who are reading this discussion

everything about Crushweak inspires fear.

His accelerations (there's proof now), his name, the ability to drive "into" the snow etc.. no time for listing them all...

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

Not good as expected. What a disaster this season. I was excited he rode Liege, Tour and a World Championship which sould suit him.
Big disappointed. And that because of a stupid crash. Let him end his season because Lombardije would be a dissapointment too with this shape.
And I really hope he comes back next season.

I don't think you can call it a disaster when he won Milan-San Remo, which was a career crowning moment.

This. 98% of the peloton would be happy with a MSR win on the year! Of course Lo Squalo had much higher ambitions, but still hard to call it a disaster.

I like to think we can call it a disaster without it having the implication that it was Nibali's fault.

I hope he'll ride the fall classics and shows a glimmer of hope.

Hardly a disaster on Nibali's part, just an idiot on Huez who broke more than a vertebra, he broke a dream. On a more happy note it's been six years in a row since he either wins a monument or a Grand Tour per season.

 

[Red Rick]

Obviously, but if you win a monument in March, and your main targets are the Tour and the WC, and by the end of the year you have only 2 extra stage top 10s, one of which in the stage where you broke your back, it's been a long series of disappointments I can't blame him for.

 

[Laplaz]

He just posted a story on Instagram where he is doing a recon of Muro di Sormano. So he will definetly ride Il Lombardia.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

He just posted a story on Instagram where he is doing a recon of Muro di Sormano. So he will definetly ride Il Lombardia.

I kinda expect him to attack on the sormano descent this year. With the easier finish that's more likely to be successful than in previous years and he doesn't stand a chance if he waits for civiglio anyway

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

He just posted a story on Instagram where he is doing a recon of Muro di Sormano. So he will definetly ride Il Lombardia.

I kinda expect him to attack on the sormano descent this year. With the easier finish that's more likely to be successful than in previous years and he doesn't stand a chance if he waits for civiglio anyway

I expect Ghisallo/Sormano to be just ridden harder this year.

Really, if Nibali had 2017 form, rode the same way on Civiglio ascent/descent he'd win again.

 

[Climbing]

I didn't read the paper, only the web version of Gazzetta.
Apparently he will race till at least 2021 (possibly renewing with TBM for 2020-2021, but not necessarily).
Next year Giro for sure (it was already pretty obvious).
He's thinking about the double go at Olimpics + Worlds for 2020, not clear how to approach it (maybe Spring Classics + Tour + Tokyo, Vuelta-no gc + Worlds + Autumn Classics).

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

He just posted a story on Instagram where he is doing a recon of Muro di Sormano. So he will definetly ride Il Lombardia.

I kinda expect him to attack on the sormano descent this year. With the easier finish that's more likely to be successful than in previous years and he doesn't stand a chance if he waits for civiglio anyway

I expect Ghisallo/Sormano to be just ridden harder this year.

Really, if Nibali had 2017 form, rode the same way on Civiglio ascent/descent he'd win again.

That's not exactly big news though, is it? He was absolutely dominant last year.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

I didn't read the paper, only the web version of Gazzetta.
Apparently he will race till at least 2021 (possibly renewing with TBM for 2020-2021, but not necessarily).
Next year Giro for sure (it was already pretty obvious).
He's thinking about the double go at Olimpics + Worlds for 2020, not clear how to approach it (maybe Spring Classics + Tour + Tokyo, Vuelta-no gc + Worlds + Autumn Classics).

I think Olympics/Worlds double needs to be Tour and no Vuelta, but I'm not sure.

Maybe even both Tour and Vuelta not for GC.