Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[SafeBet]

I'm ready to switch bandwagons. Bagiolino will be our saviour.

 

[Red Rick]

I'm ready to switch bandwagons. Bagiolino will be our saviour.

This is the Bagwagon, mind your tongue sir.

 

[gregrowlerson]

He doesn't get older, the others get younger.

This sounds like a variation on Matthew McConaughey's "Alright, alright, alright."

I'm dazed and confused.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

My multi bet stage winners tip for today:

Vincenzo Nibali into Andrea BAGioli.

Free money boys.

If Lo Squalo wins today, I'm gonna party like it's trofeo senza fine.

 

[killswitch]

Time for The Comeback and Vegni's revenge.

• teammates in the break - check
• attack on the first descent with Pozzo - incoming
• "accidental" landslide on the penultimate ascent of Sestriere after they get a good gap
• Vegni stops the peloton apparently concerned for their health and safety, allows Nibali to build a 10min gap and stops the race
• Nibali gets the win and Pozzo the podium
• ???
• Profit

 

[Eclipse]

Sadly no final charge or daring gamble. The legs didn't have anything to give and if anything it's looked like they have had less and less each day.

A resigned retreat to the drawing board and for the first time I think there will be some different questions to contemplate this winter

 

[SafeBet]

Honestly a very forgettable Giro, and it's not just a matter of legs. He could have tried a long range attack when Puccio was pulling on the first Sestriere. He even had teammates ahead. He needs a reboot.

 

[johnymax]

Honestly a very forgettable Giro, and it's not just a matter of legs. He could have tried a long range attack when Puccio was pulling on the first Sestriere. He even had teammates ahead. He needs a reboot.

Did he even attack once this Giro? I can't remember. I think there was some attempt of an attack on the flat in one of the hilly stages. Very strange from him.

 

[Forever The Best]

Looked like Ivan Basso at the 2012 Giro to me. One of the favourites, aiming for 3rd win at the home GT, one last shot at a GT win at an old age, looking decent at the beginning and completely faltering in the end. There will be some serious questions indeed.

 

[SafeBet]

Did he even attack once this Giro? I can't remember. I think there was some attempt of an attack on the flat in one of the hilly stages. Very strange from him.

He made a beautiful attack on the flat before the Stelvio when Almeida was on toilet break. Kinda sad you missed it.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Read some rumours on twitter that due to COVID lockdowns the Italian postal service has had problems this month. Apparently Nibali's bag never arrived from Sicily and he's been riding bagless since Etna

 

[Rollthedice]

Honestly a very forgettable Giro, and it's not just a matter of legs. He could have tried a long range attack when Puccio was pulling on the first Sestriere. He even had teammates ahead. He needs a reboot.

I'd say it was a weird Giro. Etna was normal, Rocarasso was normal, everything on track. Then random gregarios started to climb like Basso in 2006 and doing it in the third week. This type of next level post lockdown nuclear power climbing, steady hundreds of watts for hours killed him and everybody who can't do it. What attacks? I understand he wasn't in top shape but nevertheless he's almost 8 minutes down to Jai Hindley. And it's not even about the credentials of the Taos, Joaos and Bilbaos. It's the exceptional change that took place in the last 10 days. I can't see a reboot, the supersonic speeds will not go away next year. Let's see what a normal calendar brings.

 

[Forever The Best]

Yeah, after Etna he was probably the biggest favourite. Thomas was out, Yates lost huge time, and he only lost time to Kelderman whose attack did not get any response, and with all due respect, it was Kelderman, who had a tendency of crashing/inconsistency/bad days.
And it's not like these random riders were good that day either. Hindley was dropped, Almeida was dropped, Bilbao was dropped, and TGH lost huge time.

Then they all started outclimbing Nibali. Like wtf?

 

[killswitch]

Looked like Ivan Basso at the 2012 Giro to me. One of the favourites, aiming for 3rd win at the home GT, one last shot at a GT win at an old age, looking decent at the beginning and completely faltering in the end. There will be some serious questions indeed.

If I remember correctly Basso could have won/at least been on the podium in the Vuelta 2013 but DNF due to the sudden change to cold and rainy conditions in Andorra (?). Still hoping he could compete again for GC.

 

[roundabout]

Basso was 2 minutes behind Horner/Valverde and 3 minutes behind Nibali when he DNFed. It's would have been a good result, but almost certainly not a podium.

 

[DoYouEvenRideBruh]

Yeah it's pretty weird how so many riders who did badly on Etna had a stellar third week. I would say they hit form at the right time but then you have guys like Bilbao who also rode the Tour so it looks kind of a stretch to assume that.

8 minutes down on the leaders is crazy for Nibs. I understand why he didn't attack, he was never one for showy attacks that come to nothing. When the Shark bites he likes to take a huge chunk of meat out of the bunch.

 

[Rollthedice]

Yeah, after Etna he was probably the biggest favourite. Thomas was out, Yates lost huge time, and he only lost time to Kelderman whose attack did not get any response, and with all due respect, it was Kelderman, who had a tendency of crashing/inconsistency/bad days.
And it's not like these random riders were good that day either. Hindley was dropped, Almeida was dropped, Bilbao was dropped, and TGH lost huge time.

Then they all started outclimbing Nibali. Like wtf?

Not only Nibali, basically Jai and Hart destroyed to different extents everybody including Wilco in the form of his life.

 

[DoYouEvenRideBruh]

What's the consensus here about what would have likely happened with Thomas in the race? I mean, hard to believe he would have been outclimbed or outTT'd by Hart. The duo - plus Ganna and Dennis - would have roflstomped™ the field.

 

[SafeBet]

8 minutes down on the leaders is crazy for Nibs. I understand why he didn't attack, he was never one for showy attacks that come to nothing. When the Shark bites he likes to take a huge chunk of meat out of the bunch.

He went for nonsense attacks both in the 2015 Tour and the 2016 Giro when he was minutes behind the leaders.
Attacks that resulted in nothing or time losses.

I think all the conservative riding he's done in the last few years made you guys forget the kind of rider he was earlier in his career.

 

[Red Rick]

What's the consensus here about what would have likely happened with Thomas in the race? I mean, hard to believe he would have been outclimbed or outTT'd by Hart. The duo - plus Ganna and Dennis - would have roflstomped™ the field.

Geraint Thomas? See Geoghegan Hart climbing except he would have had the race locked up after the stage 14 ITT so everything after would've been Dennis choo choo train except defensive

 

[Rollthedice]

He went for nonsense attacks both in the 2015 Tour and the 2016 Giro when he was minutes behind the leaders.
Attacks that resulted in nothing or time losses.

I think all the conservative riding he's done in the last few years made you guys forget the kind of rider he was earlier in his career.

This Giro it was impossible after Etna where he was the first to attack in the headwind (everybody forgot that?) the group of favorites. No places until Pincavallo where he was hanging for dear life and then Rohan happened.

 

[Forever The Best]

Geraint Thomas? See Geoghegan Hart climbing except he would have had the race locked up after the stage 14 ITT so everything after would've been Dennis choo choo train except defensive

I would have liked to see what Yates could have done. He looked very strong at Tirreno.

 

[SafeBet]

This Giro it was impossible after Etna

Today it was impossible to attack on the first Sestriere ascent?
You can argue it was useless, and I'd probably agree. But impossible?

 

[topcat]

I would have liked to see what Yates could have done. He looked very strong at Tirreno.

Blow up. Another one hit wonder.

 

[lenric]

This year was atypical and made Trek seem like the retirement home of riders.
Nobody knows how governments will keep reacting to covid (even though one might argue that more lockdowns would be absolutely catastrophic), but even though I think 2021 will seem more "normal" than 2020, the damage to the confidence of some riders has been made.

The likes of Nibali, Valverde and Dumoulin (and some others) have time against them and you know the saying, for whom the bell tolls time marches on.

All in all, I expect Nibbles to target both the Giro and Olympics next year (who knows) and, perhaps, say his goodbye at Giro di Lombardia.

Nibbles will never be a disposable hero though. Long live the king.