Vincenzo Nibali victorious in the Vuelta a Espana
Italian Vincenzo Nibali established himself as one of the top cyclists with his victory in the Vuelta a Espana, the only cycling tour which rivals the Tour de France in international importance. In the
75th edition of the third and final Grand Tour, the overall podium was filled with cyclists who brought unexpected breakthrough performances to the Vuelta. Nibali, the fifth Italian ever to win the race, was joined by fellow outside contenders Ezequiel
Mosquera and Peter Velits.
“I’ve become part of an elite group of riders who can win grand tours but I don’t want to change as a person. It’s a promise I’ve made myself,” said Nibali to
Gazzetta dello Sport. “After 20 years it’s about time an Italian won this race. But I have to say that the Spanish riders made it really hard for me. They were really difficult rivals to beat.”
The 85km 21st and final stage finished with a 20-rider bunch sprint in Madrid, won by Tyler Farrar ahead of Mark Cavendish. It was Farrar’s second stage win in the Vuelta, earning him a second-place
in the points classification, ahead of Nibali and behind Cavendish, who won three stages of the race. Cavendish will go to the World Championships with the green jersey.
“More than my three stage wins, I’m so happy with how the team has ridden here, and our five stages in total,” said Cavendish. “I’m tired, as you always are at the end of a grand tour, but I’ve got time
to recover. I’m happy with my form.”
Nibali finished the final stage at the head of the chase group, four seconds behind Farrar. Mosquera and Velits finished in the group, in the same time as the overall leader. The king-of-the-mountain competition
was won by David Moncoutie ahead of Serafin Martinez. Mosquera and Nibali were both among the top five climbers.
“People are saying that I can be a big rival to Contador because I can time trial and climb,” said Nibali. “But he’s won every grand tour he’s ridden and I’ve only won one. It will be incredibly difficult
to beat him and other riders have been trying it for several years, but perhaps one day, perhaps at the Tour de France, we’ll go head to head for victory.”
Joaquim Rodriguez finished in fourth in the sprinters, climbers and overall competitions, which moved him ahead of Tour de France winner Alberto Contador for the first place in the World Rankings. Mosquera’s
second-place finish earned him his first points of the season in the Rankings, jumping from being not even on the list to 31st in one swift move.
“To come close to winning the Vuelta is the biggest thing for a Spanish rider,” said Mosquera. “Every year, as you get older, the more you have to train and struggle. This year, I really didn’t get into
the shape that I wanted until late into the spring. I kept fighting and now the last part of this season has been the best of my career.”
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