Vincenzo Nibali

1.1. Early life and education

Vincenzo Nibali was born on 14 November 1984 in Messina, Sicily, to Salvatore and Giovanna. To pursue his dream of becoming a cyclist, he left his hometown of Messina at the age of sixteen and moved to Tuscany. For ten months of the year, he resided in the home of his former directeur sportif, Carlo Franceschi, in Mastromarco, a town near Lamporecchio. During his junior years, Nibali showcased his potential, finishing third at the UCI World Junior Time Trial Championships in 2002 and again taking third place at the UCI World Under-23 Time Trial Championships in 2004.

1.2. Early career

Nibali turned professional in 2005, signing with the Fassa Bortolo team. His first significant victory came early in his career, at the 2006 GP Ouest-France, a UCI ProTour event, when he was just 21 years old. This win marked him as a promising young talent in the professional peloton.

2.1. Fassa Bortolo (2005)

Vincenzo Nibali began his professional career in 2005 with the Fassa Bortolo team. In his debut season, he secured a victory in Stage 1b, a team time trial (TTT), at the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali. He also demonstrated his time trial capabilities by finishing fourth in the Italian National Time Trial Championships. Further solidifying his presence in the peloton, he placed sixth in Milano-Torino and eighth in Firenze-Pistoia.

2.2. Liquigas (2006-2012)

Nibali joined the Liquigas team in 2006, a partnership that would last seven seasons and see his significant rise in professional cycling.

In 2006, at just 21 years old, he won the French classic 2006 GP Ouest-France. He also finished second overall in the 2.1-rated Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali, winning the first stage. He placed third overall in the 2006 Eneco Tour and eighth overall in both the 2006 Danmark Rundt and 2006 Tour de Pologne. In 2007, Nibali made his debut at the 2007 Giro d'Italia, finishing 19th overall and contributing to his team's victory in the Stage 1 team time trial. He also won the GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano and the Giro di Toscana. In 2008, he finished 10th in 2008 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 11th in the 2008 Giro d'Italia, and 20th in his first 2008 Tour de France. He also won the 2008 Giro del Trentino, including a stage victory.

The 2009 season saw Nibali win the Giro dell'Appennino with a solo attack from nearly 31 mile ^{(50 km)} out, and the Gran Premio Città di Camaiore. He finished sixth overall in the 2009 Tour of California and ninth overall in the 2009 Tour of the Basque Country. At the 2009 Tour de France, he shared leadership with Roman Kreuziger and ultimately finished seventh overall, marking his best Grand Tour placing at that time.

In 2010, Nibali started strong by winning the 2010 Tour de San Luis overall. He was a last-minute addition to Liquigas's 2010 Giro d'Italia squad after Franco Pellizotti's withdrawal. Nibali wore the Maglia Rosa after his team won the Stage 4 team time trial, and he later won Stage 14, eventually finishing third overall behind his teammate Ivan Basso and David Arroyo. In June, he won the Tour of Slovenia, followed by a victory at the Trofeo Melinda. Later in the season, Nibali achieved his first Grand Tour victory at the 2010 Vuelta a España without winning a single stage, relying on consistent high placings in summit finishes and time trials. He inherited the race lead after Igor Antón crashed out on Stage 14, lost it temporarily to Joaquim Rodríguez, but regained it in the final time trial.

The 2011 season began with a fifth-place overall finish in 2011 Tirreno-Adriatico. He also had a strong classics season, placing eighth in both 2011 Milan-San Remo and 2011 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. As the sole leader for Liquigas at the 2011 Giro d'Italia, he finished third overall behind Alberto Contador and Michele Scarponi (later upgraded to second overall after Contador's disqualification). At the 2011 Vuelta a España, he finished seventh overall.

In 2012, Nibali started with a second-place overall finish in the 2012 Tour of Oman, winning the queen stage. He then won the 2012 Tirreno-Adriatico overall and the points classification, including a stage win. In March, he achieved his first Monument podium with a third-place finish in 2012 Milan-San Remo. He also placed second in 2012 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, having launched a solo attack on the descent of the Cote de la Roche aux Faucons before being caught in the final kilometer by Maxim Iglinsky. Nibali focused on the 2012 Tour de France, skipping the Giro. He finished third overall, the only rider to stay within ten minutes of the dominant Team Sky duo of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome. He made several attacks in the mountains, including on the descent of the Col du Grand Colombier and on the climbs to La Toussuire and Col de Peyresourde, but was consistently reeled in by Team Sky.

2.3. Astana (2013-2016)

At the end of the 2012 season, Nibali left Liquigas and signed a two-year contract with Astana, reportedly worth 3.00 M EUR per year.

In 2013, Nibali started strong with a seventh-place finish in the 2013 Tour of Oman and an overall victory at 2013 Tirreno-Adriatico. In the latter, he took the leader's jersey from Chris Froome on Stage 6 by escaping with Peter Sagan and Joaquim Rodríguez on a steep climb. He then won the 2013 Giro del Trentino on the final stage, distancing rivals Mauro Santambrogio and Bradley Wiggins on the last Hors Category climb.

Nibali entered the 2013 Giro d'Italia as one of the favorites alongside Wiggins. He took the leader's pink jersey (maglia rosa^Italian) on Stage 8 after a time trial. He extended his lead on Stage 10, the first mountain top finish. The race was significantly affected by poor weather. Nibali gained more time on his rivals on Stage 14, finishing on Monte Jafferau, where he and Santambrogio rode away in freezing conditions (the stage win was retroactively awarded to Nibali after Santambrogio's disqualification). He won Stage 18, a mountain time trial, by 58 seconds from Samuel Sánchez, extending his lead to over four minutes. Stage 20, the final mountain stage, also saw heavy snow, where Nibali attacked on the final climb to Tre Cime di Lavaredo to win the stage. He safely navigated the final stage to Brescia to win the Giro by 4 minutes 43 seconds over Rigoberto Urán, securing his second Grand Tour victory. Later in the season, at the 2013 Vuelta a España, he wore the red jersey for several stages and finished second overall after a fierce battle with Chris Horner on the Angliru.

In 2014, the Tour de France was Nibali's main objective. Despite a quiet season leading up to the Tour and criticism from the Italian press after a disappointing 2014 Critérium du Dauphiné, he became the 2014 Italian National Champion on 28 June. He then went on to win the 2014 Tour de France. He first took the yellow jersey on Stage 2, winning the 125 mile ^{(201 km)} stage between York and Sheffield with a late attack. On Stage 5, a pavé stage, he gained over two minutes on most general classification contenders. He held the yellow jersey from Stage 2 to 8, losing it briefly to Tony Gallopin on Stage 9. However, he regained it on Stage 10 from Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles after rival Alberto Contador crashed out. Nibali won the stage uncontested. He further demonstrated his dominance by winning Stage 13 into Chamrousse and Stage 18 into Hautacam, his fourth and final stage victory. He finished with an excellent fourth place in the final time trial and won the general classification by 7 minutes 52 seconds, the largest margin of victory in the Tour in 17 years.

In 2015, Nibali prioritized the defense of his Tour de France title. His early season results included 16th in 2015 Tirreno-Adriatico, 65th in the 2015 Amstel Gold Race, and 20th in 2015 La Flèche Wallonne. His first significant result was tenth in the 2015 Tour de Romandie. In June, he became the Italian National Champion for the second year in a row. At the 2015 Tour de France, he lost significant time to Chris Froome in the first week and on the first mountain stage. With his title defense hopes fading, he attacked in the Alpine stages and won Stage 19 from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire-Les Sybelles after a 39 mile ^{(62 km)} solo effort. He finished the Tour de France in fourth place overall, 8 minutes 36 seconds behind Froome, marking his tenth consecutive Grand Tour top-10 finish.

Nibali also started the 2015 Vuelta a España, but was controversially disqualified on Stage 2 for holding onto his team car after a crash. He later apologized for his actions. In the autumn, he won the Trittico Lombardo, securing solo victories in the 2015 Coppa Bernocchi and 2015 Tre Valli Varesine, and placing second in the 2015 Coppa Ugo Agostoni. In October, he won his first Monument, 2015 Il Lombardia, with an attack on the descent of the Civiglio, arriving solo.

In 2016, Nibali won the queen stage and the overall classification at the 2016 Tour of Oman. He entered the 2016 Giro d'Italia as the pre-race favorite. Despite facing challenges and losing time in the middle of the race, he made a dramatic comeback. On Stage 19, the queen stage, he capitalized on a crash by then-leader Steven Kruijswijk on the descent of the Colle Dell'Agnello. Nibali won the stage, dropping Esteban Chaves on the climb to Risoul, and dedicated the win to a young cyclist from his junior team who had recently passed away. He moved to within 44 seconds of Chaves. On Stage 20, the final decisive mountain stage, Nibali attacked on the penultimate climb, distancing Chaves and other contenders, and made up the deficit to claim his second Giro d'Italia. Nibali also participated in the Olympic Road Race, where he was in a leading group with Rafał Majka and Sergio Henao on the final climb, but crashed out on the final descent, suffering a broken collarbone.

2.4. Bahrain-Merida (2017-2019)

After four seasons with Astana, Nibali joined the newly formed Bahrain-Merida team in 2017.

In 2017, he achieved podium finishes at both the 2017 Giro d'Italia (third overall) and the 2017 Vuelta a España (second overall). At the Giro, he won Stage 16, closing the gap to then-leader Tom Dumoulin. At the Vuelta, he won Stage 3. In October, he secured his second 2017 Il Lombardia victory, again with a decisive attack on the Civiglio descent. He concluded his season by winning the Taiwan KOM Challenge, setting a new course record.

In March 2018, Nibali won 2018 Milan-San Remo, his third Monument, becoming the first Italian winner of La Classicissima since Filippo Pozzato in 2006. He attacked on the Poggio di San Remo and successfully held off the chasing sprinters. Two weeks later, he finished 24th in his debut 2018 Tour of Flanders, where his attack on the Kruisberg initiated the winning move of Niki Terpstra. Nibali withdrew from the 2018 Tour de France after Stage 12 due to a crash on the ascent of the Alpe d'Huez, caused by spectator interference. Despite suffering a fractured vertebra, he managed to finish the stage in seventh place.

In 2019, Nibali finished second overall in the 2019 Giro d'Italia behind Richard Carapaz. He then participated in the 2019 Tour de France, where he won the shortened Stage 20 with a solo attack 7.5 mile ^{(12 km)} from the finish.

2.5. Trek-Segafredo (2020-2021)

On 4 June 2019, it was reported that Nibali had signed with Trek-Segafredo for the 2020 season. Over his two seasons with the team, he achieved two victories. In 2020, he finished seventh overall in the 2020 Giro d'Italia, but did not secure any wins. In 2021, he won the final stage and the general classification of the 2021 Giro di Sicilia, his home race, securing an emotional double triumph. This marked his first stage race overall victory since the 2017 Tour of Croatia.

2.6. Astana Qazaqstan Team (2022)

In September 2021, Nibali announced his return to the Astana team for the 2022 season. After completing the fifth stage of May's 2022 Giro d'Italia, which finished in his native Messina, Nibali announced his impending retirement at the end of the season, citing his desire to spend more time with friends and family. He ultimately finished the Giro d'Italia in fourth place overall, which was his joint-best result of the season along with a fourth-place overall finish at the 2022 Giro di Sicilia.

3.1. Grand Tours

Nibali is one of only seven cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours: the Vuelta a España, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de France.

3.2. Monument Classic wins

Nibali has won two of cycling's prestigious Monument Classics, showcasing his versatility beyond Grand Tours.

He won the Giro di Lombardia twice, in 2015 and 2017. In the 2015 Il Lombardia, he launched a decisive attack on the descent of the Civiglio, the penultimate climb, and arrived solo. In the 2017 Il Lombardia, he repeated this feat, attacking Thibaut Pinot on the Civiglio descent to secure another solo victory.

In 2018, Nibali claimed victory at 2018 Milan-San Remo, his third Monument win. He attacked on the Poggio di San Remo and managed to hold off the chasing sprinters in the closing kilometers, becoming the first Italian winner of La Classicissima since Filippo Pozzato in 2006.

3.3. Other major stage race wins

In addition to his Grand Tour and Monument successes, Nibali has won several other significant stage races throughout his career:

• Tirreno-Adriatico in 2012 and 2013.
• Giro del Trentino in 2008 and 2013.
• Tour of Oman in 2016.
• Tour of Croatia in 2017.
• Giro di Sicilia in 2021.

3.4. Major individual awards

Nibali is a six-time winner of the Giglio d'Oro (Golden Lily), an award given to the best Italian professional cyclist of the year. He received this accolade in 2010, consecutively from 2012 to 2015, and again in 2017.

6.1. Positive assessment

Nibali is widely regarded as a highly versatile all-rounder in professional cycling. His strengths include exceptional descending and bike handling skills, making him a formidable presence on technical descents. He is also a very strong climber and a capable time trialist, which contributed significantly to his success in stage races. His tactical intelligence and ability to seize opportunities in diverse terrains made him one of the most exciting and unpredictable riders of his generation. He is considered one of the strongest stage race riders of his era, a testament to his consistent high-level performances across different Grand Tours and other major races. His eleven Grand Tour podium finishes further underscore his consistent excellence.

6.2. Criticism and controversies

Throughout his career, Nibali faced some criticisms and controversial incidents. At the 2015 Tour de France, he was accused by rival Chris Froome of unsportsmanlike behavior for attacking when Froome experienced a brief mechanical problem on Stage 19. While Astana's manager stated there was no communication from Radio Tour about the incident, television replays showed Nibali looking over his shoulder before accelerating. Another notable controversy occurred during the 2015 Vuelta a España, where he was disqualified on Stage 2 for holding onto his team car after a crash to rejoin the peloton. The race director publicly lamented Nibali's "regrettable attitude" regarding the incident, though Nibali later issued an apology via Facebook.

6.3. Influence

Vincenzo Nibali's impact on Italian and international cycling is significant. As one of only seven riders to achieve the career Grand Tour triple crown, he holds a unique place in the sport's history. His aggressive racing style, particularly his daring attacks on descents and in the mountains, captivated fans and inspired younger generations of cyclists. His victories in major races, especially his home Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, and the prestigious Tour de France, elevated his status as a national hero in Italy and a respected figure globally. His broader contribution to the sport lies in his consistent competitiveness at the highest level for over a decade, showcasing the qualities of a true all-rounder in an increasingly specialized era of cycling.

colspan=19
Grand Tour	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Giro d'Italia	-	-	19	11	-	3	2	-	1	-	-	1	3	-	2	7	18	4
Tour de France	-	-	-	20	6	-	-	3	-	1	4	30	-	DNF	39	-	DNF	-
Vuelta a España	-	-	-	-	-	1	7	-	2	-	DSQ	-	2	59	-	-	-	45

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Olympic Games	Not held			DNF	Not held			101	Not held			DNF	Not held				53	NH
World Championships	-	-	-	-	-	40	-	29	4	40	42	-	-	49	-	15	-	-
National Championships	57	-	DNF	DNF	18	DNF	DNF	5	-	1	1	-	12	70	DNF	11	9	21