Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[contessador]

This Giro was a different kind of test than the TdF 2012. Wiggins was a good match for that TdF. And I was hooked into thinking, for some reason, that Wiggo would show an improvement in his climbing skills on the road and be good competition, if not the dominant rider in this Giro. But Wiggo has yet to show off his improved climbing on a more mountainous tour. Maybe we will see it very soon. Until then, Nibs has shown that he has improved and is mentally unflappable. Like many, I really hope 2014 TdF is where we will get to see Vincenzo, Andy, Alberto, Dawg, Wiggo and others duke it out!

 

[Potomac]

Yes....great win for Nibali Giro '13...but now I want to see him give everything at Le Tour in 2014

 

[maxmartin]

Yes....great win for Nibali Giro '13...but now I want to see him give everything at Le Tour in 2014

he most likely will defend his Giro title in 2014

 

[BroDeal]

Sickness is uncontrollable?

You need to wash your hands properly. No team other than Sky knows how to do this. Wiggums forgot to do it right.

 

[Netserk]

he most likely will defend his Giro title in 2014

I certainly hope so

 

[thehog]

You need to wash your hands properly. No other team knows how to do this. Wiggums forgot to do it right.

Yes.

What ever happened to prevention is better than a cure.

 

[slim charles]

Fantastic performance by Nibali, absolutely dominated this Giro. Yes, he was lucky that some of the competition had problems - but isn't it like that almost every time?
He didn't poison Wiggins or Hesjedal, he was better than them. They were sick? That sucks, but that happens. In almost every race.
He looked better than both of them [and all the other riders] from stage 1.
He absolutely deserved this and at the moment he is one of the best GT riders in the world. Like him or not, he is. Is he better than Froome and Contador? Probably not, but that still doesn't mean he isn't fantastic.

 

[SafeBet]

Being fit and healthy is a key element to succeed as a gt rider.
How many times has nibbles abandon a gt?

 

[Netserk]

Being fit and healthy is a key element to succeed as a gt rider.
How many times has nibbles abandon a gt?

None.

But he was clearly not where he was supposed to be in the '11 Vuelta. He also had a minor injury at the end of last year's Tour.

 

[Eshnar]

But he was clearly not where he was supposed to be in the '11 Vuelta.

Yep. Probably the only GT which he failed in his career. In all the others he was exactly where it was supposed to be (if not better). It's not an easy achievement.

 

[Netserk]

Yep. Probably the only GT which he failed in his career. In all the others he was exactly where it was supposed to be (if not better). It's not an easy achievement.

Was it due to the crash (stage 7), or was he simply not in optimal form?

 

[Eshnar]

Was it due to the crash, or was he simply not in optimal form?

2011 Giro curse.
I mean, I don't know. And he didn't, either.

 

[hfer07]

Was it due to the crash (stage 7), or was he simply not in optimal form?

He acknowledged he faded during the race-perhaps lack of form or preparation- but like a true champion, he honored the race by finish it despite the setback

 

[thehog]

Thank-god there's none of this 'victory for clean cycling" business ala Garmin.

 

[RHRH19861986]

One has to be full of praise for Nibali. I was never a "fan" of a rider or really disliked a rider, but this is a great man. I hope he wins the Tour, Liege, Lombardia and the Worlds in his further career. As I already said, that´s someone every team can be proud of to have him.

First, Vuelta, second, Giro, third, Tour, that´s something that could become reality for him. He has the years from 2014-2018, five years, to win the TdF, and I´m sure he will do so in one of these years.

 

[Parrulo]

Was it due to the crash (stage 7), or was he simply not in optimal form?

He said in an interview that he overestimated how tired he was from the 2011 giro and ended up reaching the vuelta under trained.

 

[jens_attacks]

alla grande!

 

[webbie146]

Sickness is uncontrollable?

Quote from Dhr.Ferrari few days ago:

"After nearly 1000 km under in the rain, the riders begin to pay the price.

Not only respiratory diseases but also muscle fatigue, tendinitis and digestive problems assaulted the more fragile athletes in the peloton.
Cyclists, in addition to food, ingest water and mud from the pavement, which often contains parasites: worm and protozoa infection are definitely not uncommon, draining the energies well beyond the physiological fatigue of a stage race.

And it is riders such as Wiggins and Hesjedal, along with Froome and Gesink, the prototypes of the latest generation of riders whose fragility I had already pointed out (see comment for the TdF of 07/24/12), that are the first to pay the price for such weather conditions, inevitably having to quit the Giro .
Physically very tall and perhaps too thin, they are more exposed to wind and cold compared to more compact and less taut athletes.
But if so much rain is unusual in Italy in the month of May, unforeseen external factors are always to take into account in road cycling, especially when dealing with a competition that lasts more than three weeks on an extremely diverse course, always full of pitfalls."

Can't disagree with him on this point tbh.

 

[Climbing]

Was it due to the crash (stage 7), or was he simply not in optimal form?

Every rider coming out of the brutal Giro 2011 was terrible in that Vuelta.

 

[jens_attacks]

gazzetta inventing that nibali was slower than di luca 2007 by 2 minutes and a half in the last 4 kms ...oh boy...


on the other side, nice interview with vincenzo who even if he could mock danilo, he didn't. rides like a champ, talks like a champ.

 

[whittashau]

gazzetta inventing that nibali was slower than di luca 2007 by 2 minutes and a half in the last 4 kms ...oh boy...


on the other side, nice interview with vincenzo who even if he could mock danilo, he didn't. rides like a champ, talks like a champ.

in the clinic they seemed to think he was about 30 seconds slower?

 

[jens_attacks]

in the clinic they seemed to think he was about 30 seconds slower?

depends on the start place.

but two and a half minutes is just made up big time lol

anyway, where we gonna see nibali next?

 

[SafeBet]

depends on the start place.

but two and a half minutes is just made up big time lol

anyway, where we gonna see nibali next?

I don't know. He's gonna take the whole month of June off I guess.

 

[Arnout]

He was mentioning in an interview he was going to look for the sun, so I wouldn't expect him to be in competitive form again before the worlds.

 

[SafeBet]

He was mentioning in an interview he was going to look for the sun, so I wouldn't expect him to be in competitive form again before the worlds.

He'll be at the Vuelta for sure. Probably not going for the GC, more as a prep race for the Worlds.