When Valerio Agnoli reached the top of Green Mountain at the end of stage 4 of the Tour of Oman, a group of journalists had already huddled around the winner Vincenzo Nibali, but he still managed to stretch an arm across the scrum to offer his congratulations to his team leader. “Bravo capo,” Agnoli smiled as he caught Nibali’s eye and then grabbed his hand. Well done, boss.
Astana’s other boss – the big boss, Alexandre Vinokourov – is not in Oman, but though the race is not broadcast live on television, he was kept informed of proceedings in real time. As Nibali finally shed Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) on the last ramp before the finish, Vinokourov’s long-term agent, the Belgian Vincent Wathelet, was standing just past the line and he provided the Astana general manager with blow-by-blow commentary over the phone. “Vincenzo’s got it, Vino, he’s won!”
Nibali’s first victory of 2016 had the feel of a mission statement after two years in which he had struggled for form in the early-season. In both 2014 and 2015, Nibali failed to land a win until the Italian Championships in June, but he appears far more advanced in his preparation this time around as he builds towards the Giro d’Italia.
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“Obviously in the last two years, with the Tour in mind, I started my season a lot more calmly. But it was always a struggle because inside of me I always had the desire to do more,” Nibali said. “That wasn’t easy. But when you start the season like this, with far more decent condition, it’s more straightforward to go for the win.”
Not that there is anything particularly straightforward about winning atop Jabal Al Akhdar, or Green Mountain as it is known in the English-speaking world. Nibali claimed a significant win here in 2012, a release after his barren 2011 campaign, though the manner of victory was rather different on this occasion.
“Beh, that was a few years ago… In 2012, I took off right from the start of the climb and did it all alone, but this time, it wasn’t the same at all,” he said. “You needed strong nerves to wait all the way until the end. It's different; I was much younger then, with less experience. Now I have more experience under my belt, and a solid team.”
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