Vincenzo Nibali takes stage and GC win at Giro di Silicia: I am very emotional about this
Oct 02 2021 12:08 am CET
Giro di Sicilia logo
Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) has taken the victory of the fourth stage at the Giro di Sicilia and claimed as such the overall win of the race.
The last stage of the Italian race was 180 kilometres long between Sant'Agata di Militello and Mascali and featured two hors category climbs, the last one at almost 20 kilometres from the finish. The escape of the day included riders like the four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, and it was reeled back in at the last climb of the day.
With 22 kilometres to go, The Shark attacked -while there were still six kilometres of climbing to go, and created a good gap with the rest, including the then leader of the General Classification Alejandro Valverde. At 36, Nibali took his first-ever victory as a pro in Sicily and his first one since 2019, taking like this the overall win of the race.
"This victory means a lot," said Nibali. "In my land, Sicily, I won, and it's something that I was waiting for a long time, for me and for the team. I am very emotional about this; I have no words.
"I knew the route of today's stage, but not very well this side of the final climb. I just knew it was hard, ideal for an attack from far, but I knew the descent perfectly. We climbed hard and when the pace got slow, I attacked. I didn't hesitate and went all-in, and from the team car, I was getting encouraging signals about the lead.
"I gained morale and confidence to gain time as much as possible before the top. Then, after the KOM, there was only to pedal without looking back. I am very happy and excited! The team gave me great confidence and I found the best way to repay it."
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEEDS