Italy's new cycling star and winner of the Vuelta a España, Vincenzo Nibali failed to win the Giro di Lombardia yesterday in Como, Italy. The normal rocket-like descender crashed on the run down off the Sormano climb and was unable to recapture eventual winner, Belgian Philippe Gilbert.
"I slid like a salami," Nibali told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "And for once, I was not taking risks on the descent."
Nibali's season has been spectacular: the Vuelta a España win and a fruitful Giro d'Italia in support of Liquigas team-mate Ivan Basso. He rued missing the opportunity to win his first big one-day race.
"Gilbert was going for it, but I had the legs to take him back," Nibali said. "In the sprint, 90 times out of 100 he can beat me, but until you finish you never know how it will end up."
Nibali – with Gilbert, Michele Scarponi and Pablo Lastras – formed part of an all-star group that led on the Colma di Sormano descent. However, heavy rains and cold temperatures made their effort to break free on the descent that much more dangerous.
In a left-hand switch back, at 30.5 kilometres to race, Nibali lost control. Lastras and Scarponi slowly went around and Gilbert, who was ahead of Nibali, rode free.
"From that moment, I had to follow and it went how it went," added Nibali.
Though the day started dry in Milano, by the time the riders made their way around Lake Como, it had started to rain. Nibali stopped twice to make sure he was ready for the final, which included the iconic ascent of Ghisallo and the re-introduced Sormano.
"Halfway in the race, my gear shifter broke and I had to stop to change bikes. However, there were slick tyres on that bike and so I and to stop again to put on some rain tyres. When I crashed, though, the tyres were fine, there weren't any technical problems."
Nibali is one of cycling's best descenders. He used his skills to win the stage to Asolo at this year's Giro d'Italia. Yesterday, he wanted to go easy on the descent.
"It was my decision not to risk it on the descent. If I got away, where could I have gone solo?" he continued.
"My front wheel went out from under me. It was not the fault of leaves. Injured? My hip hurts a little, but these things happen.
"After the crash, Gilbert, the rider I had been marking, started to head off and it was difficult to catch up at that point. It's too bad. Maybe I would have been able to catch Scarponi, but it just didn't work out."
Gilbert won the race for a second consecutive time, adding to his win at the Giro del Piemonte on Thursday and the one-day Dutch classic, Amstel Gold in April.
Nibali won the GP Ouest-France one-day race in 2006 and the Trofeo Melinda this year, but has never won one of cycling's famous one-day races. Lombardia is part of an exclusive 'Monument' list that includes four other one-day races: Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.