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Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

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Yeah, his TT level literally fell off a cliff from 2019 to 2020, in GTs ITTs he has been a constant finisher in the top 10 for a dozen of years with excursions into the top 5 in the second part of his career and then suddenly looks like he can't even crack the top 30, the funny thing about that is that there were people convinced that with Trek he would have improved because he was riding on "that terrible old iron of a Merida bike" [cit.].

Considering the level of yesterday TT with some big names out and others injured the Nibali from a couple of years ago could have even finished just behind Pogacar.

Anyway i don't understand way his fans want him to quit the GC, IMHO if he can climb at least like last fall he can finish in the top 10 a la Zubeldia whereas winning a stage from the break will be very hard considering the level of the climbing stage hunters and his total lack of explosiviness needed to try to drop break companions and saving for Tokyo is even more nonsensical because on Mikuni pass they are going to drop him like a stone, so considering that his past (winning) self is probably gone for good grabbing a top 10 on the GC is better than nothing.
It's the OG, he can attack before Mikuni. I don't think Bahrain Nibali would top-5, maybe top-10. Agreed wholeheartedly about Trek, Astana would have been much better.
 
It makes sense, I mean there's no drawback to trying and stay with the GC group tomorrow (definitely he won't be allowed in a break...) and eventually on Sunday. Considering that Asgreen, VdP and Mohoric are all presumably going to drop from GC, he may end up pretty high even if he ships time.

Having said this I'd rather see him forget about it entirely.
 
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At this point I'm not sure I wouldn't think of VA as a GC threat. If he finds the legs he had last year in the mountains, which are not super tough anyway, then with that final TT he has a chance to get a good result.
Even if we assume he's a threat, that's still only two riders, one of whom is unproven.

Nibali knows his form better than we do, but if he has any legs I don't see the point in giving it a go.
 

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