Vuelta a España winner Vincenzo Nibali has dismissed suggestions that Italian cycling is on a downturn, nominating the big victories by himself and team-mate Ivan Basso this year as a sign that things are well.
'It is true that we have not won a Classic for two years, but we came close, even in Lombardy. Meanwhile, we have won this year's Giro and Vuelta. And so I say that the Italian cycling is well,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The country is ranked second overall in the final UCI world rankings, which were released today. Spain is the clear winner with 1908 points, while Italy has clocked up 1201. Nibali and Basso have taken a large chunk of those.
2010 was an excellent season for the 25 year old, who finished sixth in the individual standings. He got things off to a successful start nearly nine full months ago, winning the Tour de San Luis in Argentina. From there he rode consistently in the Tirreno-Adriatico (8th), Milan-Sanremo and the Ardennes Classics, before ramping things up a notch or two as a last-minute replacement for Franco Pellizotti in the Giro. Despite being called in at such late notice, he rose to the occasion and was one of the strongest in the race.
Nibali was part of a victorious Liquigas squad in the team time trial, led the race for three stages, won stage 14 to Asolo and finished up third overall. He then went to Slovenia and won the national Tour there.
Those performances were a clear step up from last year, and showed that he had matured mentally and physically. He also marked himself out as a natural successor to Basso, who is another strong climber and capable time trialist.
Nibali sat out the Tour de France, realising that at his age, it would be too much to do two Grand Tours back to back. Instead, he prepared for the second half of the season which, as things turned out, would be even more successful than the first.
Returning in the Clasica San Sebastian, he showed good form when he was third in the Vuelta a Burgos and won the Trofeo Melinda. That gave him strong morale for the Vuelta and after a titanic battle, he came out best in the fight against Spanish rider Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia), becoming the first Italian winner of the Vuelta in two decades.
He went to the Tour of Lombardy as one of the big favourites, and could well have scrapped it out with Philippe Gilbert for the win had he not crashed at a crucial moment.
With the season essentially done and dusted, Nibali was asked by La Gazzetta to nominate his favourite memory of the year. He declined to single out just one. “I have at least three, and I would not give up any of those,” he said in reply, then listed them off.
“In order of appearance, the victory of Asolo, because it was my first victory, individual, in a stage of the Giro, and for the way in which I won as it gave me goosebumps.
"Next, the podium in Verona: because the Giro is the best thing for any Italian rider, because it was a team victory, because in the arena the atmosphere was fantastic.
“Then, La Bola del Mundo: because it was an extremely long climb, because it was an inhumane effort, and because it meant the victory in the Vuelta."
After taking a break to recharge his batteries and catch up with normal life, Nibali will turn his thoughts to next year. He is likely to be a challenger for a Tour de France victory sooner rather than later, but wants to focus on a different target in 2011. “Dreamers spend time dreaming; I dream, but I also seek to achieve those goals,” he said, with flourish. “My dream is to win the Giro.”