Vincenzo Nibali announced his retirement at the end of the season on Wednesday. Few have a palmarès like him. And yet the Italian will resign as a shadow man.
A week ago Vincenzo Nibali started what is now known as his last Giro d’Italia in Budapest.
Vincenzo Nibali, 37, is one of the greats of cycling. He has won all three Grand Tours – the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta – as well as two Classique monuments, something that only the mighty like Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Felice Gimondi could achieve. But now the end of the season should be over.
Unlike these three riders who defined their respective eras, Nibali was more of a shadow man. His active time was shaped by others. About Lance Armstrong, with whom he drove in the 2009 Tour de France. As soon as the American left, Alberto Contador came. When the Spaniard got caught up in the clenbuterol affair, Chris Froome’s star rose. And then Tadej Pogacar followed. But when the big ones faltered, Nibali was often ready. A prerequisite for this was his ability to maintain good form over longer periods of a season. «Vincenzo builds up his form rather slowly, but can then hold this level longer. That got worse with age,” says his long-time coach Paolo Slongo.
Nibali was only a star in his home country
However, this consistency was not enough for a star role beyond his home country of Italy, where he was celebrated as the “Shark of Messina”. The superlative that best suits Nibali is that of being one who used the talent given to him most effectively. He likes to attribute his perseverance to the hardships of being a migrant bike when he was a teenager. His journeys to the junior races were always the longest, first by ferry across the straits between Sicily and Calabria, then long car journeys north. At the age of 15, away from parents and friends, he settled in Tuscany. This paid off in sporting terms. The high social price he paid for it may also have motivated him to always get the maximum out of it.
Nibali learned a lot from older drivers. As an apprentice, he secured Ivan Basso’s Giro victory in 2010 and was third overall himself. In his very first appearance as captain a few months later, he won the Vuelta outright. When preparing for the 2014 Tour de France, he had his coach Slongo simulate exactly the same accelerations on the motorbike that Froome used to shape the Tour of France so much. Marked by falls, the Brit had to give up the Tour de France early that year, and Nibali dominated the race almost at will.
What he lacked compared to riders like Froome, Nibali tried to make up for with daring descents. The descent with which he won his first tour of Lombardy is legendary. In recent years, falls have increased. This was also due to spectators who brought him down like at the Tour de France 2018. Nibali also blamed a lack of respect and driving skills on the part of the young professionals.
The old master recognized the signs of the times
Vincenzo Nibali talks about his retirement.
The Giro d’Italia 2022 is now Nibali’s farewell tour, the announcement of his retirement was staged perfectly. On Wednesday, after the fifth stage, which ended in his hometown of Messina, he tearfully told Italian television that he will probably retire at the end of the season. It’s time to take that step. The day before he had had to let his rivals go on his local mountain, the Etna volcano. The doyen from the island can not only read races, he also recognizes the signs of the times.