Nibali’s year: wounded achilles, disagreements with Froom and triumph in Lombardy

“Sure, what happened at Vuelta was a big mistake, though not only mine. But it was also a chance to start from the beginning. I can not say that the exclusion for me was good, but at least it caused me some annoyance, “revealed the new winner of the race around Lombardy.

” Finally I am satisfied with this season. At the end, I won one of the Monuments, which was not a good time for the Italians, “he recalled the last victory in Damian Cunego in 2008.

By mid September, Nibali seemed to experience the worst season the last few years.

“The biggest rival for the next Tour? Definitely Nibali.When you look at the profile, you have to be clear that it will be the most dangerous for Chris Froom, “Dave Brailsford, Sky Team Manager, said in the autumn of last year. But Italian began the classically Italian” piánkem “. The Dubai Tour finished in the top ten overall, at the Oman race around the Bet365 twentieth. “So what? What does it mean for Tour? Nothing. It’s February, and the tour starts in July, “he snapped at the intrusive questions of the journalists. But, since last year he was poor at the start of the season, he did not go until April at the Around Romandie race. Why should not he repeat it?

And the season continued.In the aforementioned Romandia, he invisibly reached the tenth, then for a month and a half he had settled down on the alpine camp, from which he came to test the form of the Old Lady on the Criterion du Dauphiné.

Not even here. In the sixth stage, the second came after Valverde, but overall it was only for the twelfth place.

Here, even Italian champion fans started to doubt.

On his side, thirty- winning the home championship. But only for a few days. Tour was the turn.

“I have a hard winter. I’ve had problems with achilles, which I have not told anyone yet. I was also very busy committing my tournament victories. Actually, I did not even psychologically regenerate. But it is beyond me.I would like to go on stage again on the Champs-Éllysées, “he wished for a start. In the fourth round of Cambrai, the classic Paris-Roubaix dice belonged to the most active – after that he even got the red number for the most aggressive rider. But he did not make any headway on Froom and others.

He was rather losing and slandering.

“I was trying to get ahead and then dropped Froome,” he said perhaps after the sixth stage. Then he apologized that it was not so much that he and Brith had spoken.

In the nineteenth stage, the Astana rider attacked when Froome had trouble with the wheel and defended himself. “I did not know about his troubles.”

Froome again countered: “He knew very well that I had technical problems, but he attacked.It was so unbelievable! ”

Nibali won the stage, but the overall fourth place in the Tour was certainly not the result for which the yellow jersey defender arrived.

So perhaps he decided to go right taste the Spanish Vuelta. Aru and Land, despite that. Before the start, it was unclear who Astana would be driving. The three of them said, “We want to win the stage and be as high as possible in the overall ranking.”

The second stage.

“Everyone on the radio only screamed Aru, Aru, Aru! Did you see who gave me the round? Martinelli. And how long? “Nibali tried not to hide Bet365 disappointment. The team leader, Alexandre Schefer, took him to the head of the group. Both were excluded from the Spanish Grand Tour and Nibali fell into cycling hell.

There was anger in Italian.Because he did not succeed at the beginning of the season, because Vinokurov’s team manager did not believe him, and because he and the champion of all three Grand Tours were like that at Vuelta.

A started winning. First to the one-time classic Coppa Bernocchi, then to Tre Valli Varesine and everything in Lombardy.

He won one of five classic Cycle Season Monuments and starts on Thursday at the Abu Dhabi race. > What next next year? He must also correct his goals with regard to Fabia Arua, the fresh Vuelta winner. He immediately said after his triumph: “And I want Tour next year!” Will Giro get the older pair of Italians, or will Vinokurov give him one more option on a yellow jersey on the French roads? “I do not know.Giro I will just go and enjoy. But the team directors Bet365 must decide. “

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