‘The best day of my life,’ says Italian after securing overall victory on Bola del Mundo climb
Vincenzo Nibali will become the first Italian to win the Vuelta a España in 20 years when he crosses the final stage’s finish line in Madrid today.
“After 20 years, it is right that the win goes back to Italy,” he told Italian newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport. “But the Spaniards made my life difficult. They were very strong rivals.”
Italians at the Vuelta:
1990 Marco Giovannetti (Seur)
1981 Giovanni Battaglin (Inoxpran)
1968 Felice Gimondi (Salvarani)
1956 Angelo Conterno (Bianchi-Pirelli)
The 25-year-old Sicilian of team Liquigas-Doimo took first took the red leader’s jersey after two weeks of the three-week race, on the 14th stage to Peña Cabarga. Former race leader, Spaniard Igor Antón (Euskaltel-Euskadi) crashed and abandoned with a fractured elbow bone, which left Nibali free to take the lead by four seconds over Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha).
Spaniard Rodríguez, eighth at the Tour de France, took the jersey from Nibali for one day, but Spaniard Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo-Galicia) proved to be Nibali’s toughest rival. He trailed by only 50 seconds ahead of yesterday’s stage and along the final Bola del Mundo climb, briefly created enough distance between himself and Nibali to obtain the lead.
Nibali, though, clawed back Mosquera by the finish to win his first Grand Tour, and bring the Spanish title back to Italy.
“Mosquera made the Bola del Mundo terrible. On the toughest stretch, at 1600 meters from the finish, I thought I would die. The choice with the mechanics to fit the 36×29 was decisive. The Zoncolan climb is tough, but the stakes were enormous here,” explained Nibali.
“I knew that I could count on my abilities and that the hardest part was in the final three kilometres. When I saw Mosquera attack, I did not lose faith and I continued calmly. It was important not to lose sight and since I had him on a leash, I decided to save a bit of energy for the final, maybe to win the stage.
“I raced with heart. Then with intelligence and, as a third factor, with my legs.”
Nibali had a successful race thanks to the confidence he found by finishing seventh in last year’s Tour de France. He was due to return this year, racing the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, but team Liquigas-Doimo left him out so he could support Ivan Basso at the Giro d’Italia. The Italian team needed a helper deluxe to replace Franco Pellizotti, who the UCI caught doping with its biological passport one week prior to the Giro d’Italia.
Nibali made the best of his situation.
At the Giro d’Italia, he helped the team win the time trial, wore the leader’s pink jersey for three days, won the mountain stage to Asolo, finished third overall and helped Basso win the race. He then travelled to Spain to win its biggest race, the Vuelta a España, but he lacked time to even preview the stages. The only time would have been during the Vuelta a Burgos, which was needed to build his strength.
Nibali this year:
1st Tour de San Luis (plus time trial stage win)
8th Tirreno-Adriatico
3rd Giro d’Italia (team time trial win, stage at Asolo, leader for three days)
1st Tour de Slovénie (stage win)
3rd Vuelta a Burgos
1st Trofeo Melinda one-day race
1st Vuelta a España
Next: World Championships road race in Geelong, Australia
“I still don’t believe in what I accomplished. [It changes things] within a narrow circle of the cycling, but I will not change as a person. It’s a promise that I make to myself,” Nibali continued.
Liquigas is on the only team to finish with all nine of its riders in all three Grand Tours this year. Nibali will rely on the team if he wants to return to the Tour de France and take the crown from three-time Tour de France winner, Spain’s Alberto Contador.
“Contador has won all the stage races that he wanted to win. So, it is very difficult to beat him, seeing how others have tried over the years already. But one day, perhaps at the Tour, we will go head-to-head for the win.”