In Italy they are describing Vincenzo Nibali's come back and Giro d'Italia victory as one of the greatest comebacks in professional cycling. It has been called a resurrection, ‘Dal buio al trionfo' – from the dark to victory, as Gazzetta dello Sport described on Sunday morning, giving Nibali the top half of the front page of their sports newspaper for a second consecutive day.
Gazzetta dello Sport recalled how Fausto Coppi snatched victor in the 1953 race with an attack on the Stelvio. Hugo Koblet crashed and punctured, allowing Coppi to triumph. In 1959 Charly Gaul won after Jacques Anquetil cracked and the Piccolo San Bernando climb; In 1996 Olano cracked on the Mortirolo, allowing Pavel Tonkov to win the maglia rosa.
The 99-year history of the Giro d'Italia is littered with similar stories of attacks, crashes and riders who cracked, especially during the final week and in the toughest mountain stages.
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Nibali's second Giro d'Italia victory will perhaps be remembered as his best because few Grand Tours end so dramatically, with such a swing from defeat to victory in the course of two stages. It was a two-move; two-stage checkmate that captured the attention of all of Italy.
We often bemoan modern racing as lacking the unexpected, with modern technology and sports physiology reducing the chance of a sudden turn of events. Yet again Nibali has reminded us why Grand Tours are so special in our sport. The final winner is the best and most consistent rider over the whole three weeks and 21 stages. Nibali raced for 86 hours, 32 minutes and 49 seconds in this year's corsa rosa. He beat Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) by just 52 seconds, with Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) by 1:17.
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