Rollthedice said:
This debate can go on forever. And some people tend to forget deliberately that in the competition was also Froome. So if we go by the logic what if, he has to be in the equation. Regarding that stage, it was a steep uphill sprint, Contador was going for the stage, Nibs cracked in the last 50m. Nothing to show he could not hold his wheel on different climbs, like yesterdays or PdBF.
One of my favorite quotes this year, hear again what Wiggo said when Bertie was still in the race:
That's why it's called a debate. Contador showed a flash of power that the Italian lacked in that critical moment. Period.
This signifies, given that AC is, well, AC, that it was reasonable to presume that the Spaniard would have placed the Sicilian in difficulty in the high mountains (like no one else currently in the race has been able to do). Period.
I didn't consider Froome, because he was by that point out of the race and we neither saw him on the cobbles, nor in the mountains. Of course had he, too, still been in the race, the equation becomes more complex. Based on what we saw last year, it is thus also reasonable to hypothesize that, if in the same condition, he would have also caused Nibali to suffer more than he has had to against his actual rivals. Period.
Personally I think Contador had the means to ultimately outgun Nibali and, with Froome in the race, there would have been a great struggle between them.
Of course, Nibali is on great form and he certainly would have in any case been able to play his cards even with those two still in the race. However, if each is firing on all 4 cylinders then I say the Sicilian gets third.
I could be wrong naturally, but don't accuse me of being unreasonable, or deny me the right to speculate.
Some find it pointless. Fair enough, but it's part of the game when the two biggest candidates for victory go home early not because of a lack of form, but for terrible sorts.
And I don't think Wiggins' opinion is correct. While it's rather shocking, given Contador's form, that the Briton could actually come to the conclusion that Nibali was that superior. Seems like self-aggrandizement if you ask me. That is to downplay the superiority of both Contador and Froome over himself, by making out the man who got third in his Tour to be this dominator (which is rather cynical, if not vile).
Hell, Nibali's biggest rival on paper at the Giro last year was Wiggins himself, after he won an easy Tour and he wasn't even the strongest rider.