Nibali: I couldn't do any more
In the end, Vincenzo Nibali's UCI Road World Championships challenge was something of a race against time and, deep down, he must have suspected that the battle was already lost long before he was distanced from the group favourites on the final ascent up to Igls.
A little over two months ago, Nibali fractured a vertebra in a crash on Alpe d’Huez at the Tour de France. Under normal circumstances, the incident might have ended his season. Instead, Nibali underwent percutaneous bilateral vertebroplasty surgery in early August in a bid to speed up his recovery, and he rushed back to competition at the Vuelta a España in an attempt to regain his condition ahead of the Worlds road race.
With a little under 25 kilometres remaining on Sunday, however, Nibali lost contact with the main group after Steven Kruijswijk (Netherlands) attacked at the front. He would eventually reach the finish in 49th place, more than six minutes down on winner Alejandro Valverde (Spain).
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Considering the troubled build-up, it could hardly be considered a surprise. Ahead of the Worlds, Nibali had effectively handed the reins of leadership of the Italian team over to Gianni Moscon – who placed 5th on Sunday – though he continued to hope against hope that he might make an impact in the finale.
"I would have liked to have dedicated this Worlds to [Michele] Scarponi. Before the start I saw his photo on a banner, and to my grandfather Vincenzo who died this year," Nibali told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I’m disappointed with myself. At a certain point, I had a sudden black-out, I was spent. I paid for that acceleration from Kruijswijk. I was lacking explosivity and I wasn’t able to go into the red. After the Vuelta, I had some good responses, but it wasn’t enough. The only positive thing is that it was a demanding race, even faster than expected and, after all of my problems, I didn’t feel back pain. But it’s clear that I’ll have to work all winter."
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