Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru have insisted that they will have no problems in co-existing as part of Astana’s strong line-up at the Vuelta a España, which gets underway in Marbella on August 22.
While Aru has prepared for the Vuelta all summer after placing second at the Giro d’Italia, Nibali only added the race to his programme after he fell short of a podium finish at the Tour de France last month.
The Vuelta will be the first time the pair has ridden together in Astana colours since the 2013 Tour of Lombardy (they also both raced for Italy at the Ponferrada Worlds last year), but speaking at a joint press conference at Sestriere on Wednesday, they said that they would not race against one another.
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“Fabio has prepared this race well and I think he could be the leader. I’ll have the support of the team too, and if it turns out that way, I could work for him, certainly,” Nibali said, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. “These are things that are decided on the road. I’ve raced with [Ivan] Basso in the past. Often you’re stronger as a pair than you are alone.”
Nibali’s words were echoed by Aru, who found himself with an unexpected co-leader during the final week of the Giro, when Mikel Landa emerged to join him on the final podium in Milan. The Basque is also part of the remarkably strong Vuelta roster, though he is not part of the small group of Astana riders preparing for the race at Sestriere this week.
“There’s respect between us. We’re a group, a real team, and there’s Landa too,” Aru said. “A lot was said at the Giro, but there were no problems between me and him, and we achieved the best we could. The status of leader doesn’t count for much.”
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