Four years after winning the Tour de France, Vincenzo Nibali is ready to do it all over again. This time, he is approaching the race with far more self-confidence, far fewer doubts and far less pressure on his shoulders.
Only three Italians have ever won two editions of the Tour de France: Ottavio Bottechia (1924 and 1925) Gino Bartali (1938 and 1948) and Fausto Coppi (1948 and 1952). Nibali is hoping to join that select club but pushes back against any pressure to perform, convinced that his palmares, which includes all three Grand Tours, two editions of Il Lombardia and the 2018 Milan-San Remo, is already worth of one of the greats of the sport.
In 2014, Nibali was eaten up by the expectation in Italy for him to perform after winning the Giro d’Italia the year before and finishing second at the Vuelta a Espana. Now older and wiser, his shoulders are far broader and he is better able to handle the expectation of a nation, its fervid tifosi and anyone else.
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“If it doesn’t work out, if I don’t win another Tour de France it won’t change anything for me. I’m also not that interested in what people say if they doubt me and question my commitment or even dismiss my chances. I know I’ve worked hard to do well at the Tour de France. Now we’ll see what happens,” Nibali tells Cyclingnews in an exclusive interview, his defiance equal to his pride.
“I think one of my qualities is my determination to overcome and succeed. When I’ve suffered in the past, some people have told me to throw in the towel but I’ve often gone on to win and show I was right. People are easy to criticise these days, especially on social media, it's the digital form of a bar, where people go to hang out, hear their own voice and talk shit… I try to take it all with a pinch of salt, laugh it off and keep my eye on the road ahead.”
It would be wrong to consider Nibali’s dismissive attitude as a sign of defeat or weariness. Nibali will be 34 in November and so, were he to take victory, would become the oldest winner of the Tour de France since veteran Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk won the yellow jersey in 1980. But he feels and looks far younger. His Sicilian pride still shines through when facing questions; the fire is still alive, despite him leaving home in Messina to race in Tuscany when he was just a teenager.
Ploughing his own furrow
The form of his life in 2014
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/nibali-hoping-to-repeat-perfect-ride-of-2014-tour-de-france-victory
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