Since the Giro d'Italia left Apeldoorn two weeks ago, there have been only the slightest swings of the pendulum in the battle between Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), and the relative impasse continued on stage 13 through the Julian Alps to Cividale del Friuli.
Just two seconds separated the outstanding favourites for final overall victory in Turin before the stage and so it remained afterwards, though Nibali will have been buoyed by leapfrogging Valverde in the standings thanks to the four-second time bonus he earned by pipping the Spaniard in the sprint for third place on the stage.
"The final sprint went well for me in the end. There was a headwind and Alejandro went from distance but I timed my effort right," Nibali told reporters after wheeling to a halt past the finish line, 1:17 behind stage winner Mikel Nieve (Sky).
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On the day's final climb, the short haul to Valle, Valverde and Nibali had exchanged accelerations at the head of the reduced group of favourites. Valverde went first, launching a tentative effort that was immediately snuffed out by Nibali. A more wholehearted attack from Nibali followed nearer the summit, but he desisted after a few hundred metres.
More on this story:
Giro d’Italia stage 13 – Finish line quotes
Giro d’Italia stage 13 highlights – Video
In the popular imagination, at least in Italy, Nibali and Valverde have been cast as diametric opposites – the Italian champion as attacker and the Spaniard as follower. In truth, each man has been relatively cautious to date. At this juncture, their Giro remains a battle of wits. In the final week – and perhaps as soon as Saturday's tappone in the Dolomites – it will become a more straightforward question of legs.
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