If the polemic surrounding Vincenzo Nibali’s expulsion from the Vuelta a España has dominated the column inches in his home country in recent days, attention is slowly turning towards that other great Italian obsession, the World Championships road race.
On Thursday morning, the UCI confirmed that Nibali would not be granted dispensation to race again before the end of the Vuelta following his ejection for taking a tow from a team car on stage 2, meaning that he is unable to resume racing at the GP Ouest-France in Plouay this weekend, or even at the GP de Quebec on September 11, but lining out for Italy in the Richmond Worlds on September 27 remains a distinct possibility.
Astana trainer and directeur sportif Paolo Slongo has confirmed that Nibali has already discussed plans to build towards the Worlds with national coach Davide Cassani, and while his programme has yet to be confirmed, the Sicilian could line out – most likely for an Italian national selection – at the Coppa Agostoni on September 16, followed by the Coppa Bernocchi (September 17), the Memorial Marco Pantani (September 19) and the GP Industria & Commercio di Prato (September 20).
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“The UCI has said that Vincenzo can’t race before the end of the Vuelta, so that’s put an end to the possibility of riding Plouay and the Canadian races,” Slongo told Cyclingnews in Cordoba on Thursday. “That leaves the Italian races: Bernocchi, Agostoni, Prato and Pantani. We’re talking with Cassani at the moment about the programme but there are no definitive plans just yet.
“Vincenzo certainly wants to race and he’d like to do well at the Tour of Lombardy [on October 4 – ed.]. As for the Worlds, the course maybe doesn’t exactly suit him and [Diego] Ulissi might be the leader, that’s for Cassani to decide, but Vincenzo would certainly like to wear the maglia azzurra in Richmond.”
Nibali did not race between the Tour de France and the Vuelta, meaning that one neutralised team time trial and one fateful road stage aside, he will essentially have spent seven weeks away from action by the time he is able to race again. It remains to be seen just how competitive Nibali can be at the Worlds and the Tour of Lombardy on the back of such a lay-off.
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