Dubai: The year 2014 was historic in cycling for more reasons than one. Other than being the 101st edition of the Tour de France, it was also only the fourth time (1974, 1994 and 2007 were the other three occasions) in more than a century of its history that the race had a starting point in the United Kingdom, rather than in its home in France.
It started off in Leeds on July 5, followed a clockwise route through France, and when the gruelling event concluded at the Champs-Elysees in Paris, it was Italian rider Vicenzo Nibali finishing at the top of the podium ahead of Frenchmen Jean-Christophe Peraud and Thibaut Pinot, winning by more than seven minutes – the biggest winning margin since 1997.
Going into the 2014 race, Nibali was among the favourites to win – Chris Froome and Alberto Contador were the other two. But Froome crashed out on Stage 5, while Contandor followed on Stage 10 breaking his leg in a crash, leaving Nibali to power to his maiden crown.
His 2014 Tour win was partly a result of painstaking work based on his power output and that of his rivals, masterminded by his coach Paolo Slongo.
Two years later, none of these elements will be missing going into Saturday’s start at Mont-Saint-Michel despite Nibali not featuring among the pre-race favourites that include defending champion Froome, Contador and Nairo Quintano.
He is, in fact, being considered a threat among the next rung of riders with the likes of Richie Port, Thibaut Pinot, Geraint Thomas, Fabio Aru, Romain Bardet and Tejay van Garderen seen as capable candidates for being crowned champion at the 103rd edition of the Tour de France on July 24.
Given such pedigree in cycling, it is no wonder that an entire nation has turned towards Nibali. Every Italian now looks upon him as the saving grace of cycling. In addition to the 2014 Tour de France, Nibali has delivered the 2010 Vuelta a Espana along with the 2013 and 2016 Giro d’Italia.
The Italian has been coy about his chances this year as he has shifted priorities. Far too many times he has mentioned in the past that 2016 would be dedicated for achieving two of his goals – the Giro d’Italia and the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
“The first one I have achieved, and now I want to go and win the second,” Nibali told Gulf News in an exclusive interview prior to the start of the Tour de France.
“The Tour de France is the way to get to Rio with the best preparation and I hope to be among the challengers at the Olympics at least in some stages,” he added.
So given his goals for the year, Nibali will be focused totally on using the Tour de France as a launchpad for Rio. A total of 22 teams will be flagged off in the opening stage of the 2016 edition. Nibali’s Team Astana is one of the 18 UCI World Teams who have an automatic invitation, while another four second-tier UCI Professional Continental teams – Bora-Argon 18, Direct Energie, Cofidis and Fortuneo-Vital Concept – have been given wildcard invitations.
It is not for any lame reason that an athlete like Nibali has managed to draw attention towards him. And rightly enough, the Astana Pro Team head to the Tour de France with the last two Grand Tour winners, namely Fabio Aru and Nibali as their leaders.
Aru will be making his Tour debut, and will lead the team, while Nibali has been given more of a free-moving role within the team. Basically, the older Italian is supposed to support Aru and hone his form and condition ahead of the Rio Olympic Games road race scheduled for August 6.
“What is needed to win is humility, determination and a desire to work hard. Without these three aspects, it is difficult to achieve victory,” Nibali observed.
“This year’s Giro victory has increasingly convinced me of this and I am convinced that it is these three qualities that have helped me become a better cyclist and a better person at the same time,” he added.
Perhaps defending champion Froome – who expects the course to suit him better than last year’s course – summed up a possible champion for the Tour when he said: “I think it’s going to take a complete cyclist.”
That one champion will be beaming from the podium with the Champs-Elysee in the backdrop on July 24.