Vincenzo Nibali has revealed he is tempted to target the Tour de France once again after the inclusion of pave and the short mountain stage in the Pyrenees created a route similar to when he won the race in 2014. However, Nibali has not yet counted out his home Grand Tour, the route of which is due to be unveiled later this month. Nibali also confirmed he will include the Ardennes Classics in his 2018 race programme.
Nibali has already confirmed he will ride the Vuelta a Espana to prepare for the hilly World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. He has put off a final choice between targeting the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France until after the presentation of the corsa rosa on November 29.
The Giro d’Italia starts in Israel and it is expected to include three stages in Sicily, including a mountain finish on Mount Etna, near Nibali’s hometown of Messina.
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Giro d’Italia organiser RCS Sport is hoping to convince Chris Froome to ride the Giro d’Italia and this could also influence Nibali’s final decision. He may prefer to avoid a clash with the Team Sky leader in Italy in the hope of then beating him in France in July.
Nibali revealed his race plans for 2018 while collected a series of prizes in Italy on Monday. He won the Giglio d’Oro prize in Tuscany and then travelled to Milan to collect a Tuttobici Oscar.
He opted to target the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana in 2017, finishing third behind Tom Dumoulin and Nairo Quintana in May and then second to Froome in September. He ended his 2017 season a high by winning Il Lombardia with a solo attack. Since then, Nibali has had little time for holidays and has started to plan and prepare for 2018.
The 2018 Tour route
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