Dubai: It looks like an exciting few years for cycling and Vincenzo Nibali – as the Italian looks Gulf-bound, possibly as early as next year.
With his contract with Team Astana concluding in 2017, Nibali is reported to be in advanced talks with Bahrain’s Prince Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa as the Gulf state prepares to debut the first cycling team from the Middle East. The formation of the team has been in an advanced stage with Brent Copeland from Lampre-Merida chosen as manager.
Nibali is the definite choice to lead the new team in its red and gold Sportful kit. The budget too is reported to be in the vicinity of $16 million (Dh58.4 million) to $20 million.
And while Nibali’s agent Alex Carera has been on record admitting the formation of the team, the Italian champion was coy on revealing details. “I will speak of my competitive future in cycling at a later date as there are regulations to follow,” was his response to Gulf News.
However, what excites the Italian to a greater degree is the way the sport is catching on in the region, beginning with two races in the UAE – the Dubai Tour and Abu Dhabi Tour – and one each in Oman and Qatar.
“The birth of new races all over the world has led to the growth of the international cycling movement giving many athletes the opportunity to get noticed. I support the development of cycling on a global scale as this can only be good for our sport,” Nibali said.
“With this in mind, the races in new places such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar will play a huge role in spreading our sport to newer destinations,” he added.
Prince Nasser has until August 15 to submit documents to governing body UCI so that the licence commission can review the application and take a decision. With everything going as planned, Bahrain will take one of 18 WorldTour licences. The UCI will have another available 2017 licence, which could possibly go to German professional continental team Bora-Argon 18 as IAM Cycling is leaving the sport.
“My one ambition is to keep on cycling. Five years down the road, Vincenzo Nibali will still be cycling,” Nibali insisted.