Vincenzo Nibali was one of the few riders invited to the presentation of the 2017 Giro d'Italia route and despite being defending champion next May, he refused to confirm that he will be at the start in Sardinia.
Nibali was invited on stage along with expected main rival Fabio Aru and commented on several stages, but for some reason he preferred not to confirm that he would ride. After the long presentation, Nibali jump in a car with teammate and friend Valerio Agnoli for the long drive across northern Italy to Croatia for the first Bahrain-Merida gathering.
"It's a hard but very interesting Giro d'Italia. We need some time to study the stages and the route in detail, then we have to think about if we ride it. We've got time in the winter and then we'll decide," Nibali said mysteriously.
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"This is a special and important edition of the Giro d'Italia. I like it but it won't be easy to race. We've got time to decide about the Giro, the other races and my final race calendar.
With two stages in Sicily, including the first mountain finish on Mount Etna and then a stage to his hometown of Messina, Nibali is almost certain to target the Giro d'Italia. However, he could be worried about his possible rivals. Chris Froome tweeted that he liked the route when details were revealed on Monday The Team Sky leader confirmed he will target the Tour de France but could perhaps ride the Giro d'Italia in an attempt to win a rare Giro-Tour double.
Nibali called on Froome to ride the Giro, listing him amongst possible rivals, perhaps in an attempt to call his bluff. Froome rode the Giro d'Italia in 2009 and 2010 but never as an overall contender with Team Sky.
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