Vincenzo Nibali has praised Nairo Quintana for attempting the Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double but confirmed he has no concrete plans to do the same in 2017. The Italian remains focused on winning a third Giro d’Italia in May and will only confirm his goals for later in the season after the Corsa Rosa.
Nibali makes his season debut and his racing debut with the new Bahrain-Merida team on Monday at the Tour de San Juan.
“Nothing is impossible but it’s a very tough goal,” Nibali said of the Giro-Tour double when speaking to Cyclingnews after the Vuelta a San Juan press conference.
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“Nairo’s going to be an extra rival for what’s going to be a great Giro. He has to be admired for deciding to target the Giro d’Italia and then riding the Tour de France. I’ve done the Giro-Tour double in the past but it’s very difficult to do because you’ve got to programme the season very carefully. It’s not easy to be at your very best for both races, there’s only a month between the Giro and Tour, so it’s not easy to recover and be strong again so soon.”
Nibali rode the Giro-Tour double in 2016. He won the Giro d’Italia but then specifically targeted stage victories in the Tour de France while supporting Fabio Aru. He used the French stage race to prepare for the tough Olympic road race in Rio but then crashed out of the race on the final descent and fractured his collarbone. He won the 2014 Tour de France after building his season around the French Grand Tour and missing the Giro d’Italia. Quintana wan his first Giro d'Italia in the same year, avoiding a clash with Nibali.
“I kept training when I did it but it’s difficult and it all depends on how you feel. After the Giro last year I kept training and felt good. I had great numbers in training but then in the first week of the Tour I suffered. You can never compare training to racing,” Nibali explained.
Not tempted by the Tour de France
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