Vincenzo Nibali to end his seven year association with Team Liquigas-Cannondale
Team Liquigas-Cannondale has announced that its star rider Vincenzo Nibali will not continue with the team for the coming season.
The cyclist joined the team back in 2006 and has helped the side with his superb performances over the past six years.
He started the professional pursuit with Team Fassa Bortolo in 2005 and joined the Italian team after spending only one year with the side.
Nibali has represented the team in as many as eight Grand Tour races since 2006-11 including four Giro d’ Italia, two Tour de France and two Vuelta a Espana participations to his credit.
He secured the third and the second positions during the 2010 and the 2011 editions of the Italian Grand Tour and achieved the seventh overall spot at the Tour de France 2009.
The Italian claimed the first overall position during the Vuelta a Espana 2010 and finished 7th during the most recent edition of the race.
Vincenzo was offered a handsome contract, but he has not accepted or rejected the offer yet.
Tuttobicwebi.it quoted the Team manager Roberto Amadio as saying, “Our offer was made (1.8 million Euros per year), we gave the boy time to properly evaluate our proposal, but we have not received any response”.
“We cannot do otherwise. Our proposal was made, and we can't do more”.
“Depriving ourselves of Vincenzo is not easy: we have always believed in him and we consider him a true product of Liquigas-Cannondale”.
“But it is also true that there are several proposals and we really offered him as much money as we can”.
Vincenzo’s departure will definitely be a big blow at the Italian side as the cyclist is currently enjoying a supreme form.
He finished first overall at the Tirreno-Adriatico 2012 and also secured the points classifications at the race.
The 27-year-old finished second overall at the Tour of Oman, third at the Milan-San Remo and also achieved the second position at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2012.
The cyclist also bagged stages at the Tour of Oman and the Tirreno-Adriatico 2012.
It is believed that Nibali has received much higher offers (2.5 million Euros) from Team Astana and Team BMC and might end up with one of the two sides in the coming season.
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