“I definitely want to try to leave my mark" ahead of final week, says Vincenzo Nibali

Vincenzo Nibali will be eager to leave his mark in the Giro d'Italia, and he has favourable terrain in the third week to make an impact. The Sicilian is on terrific form going into the final week, and the set of highly mountainous days should suit his recovery skills - in which he's been able to turn the race on it's head in the final week back in 2016.

“I definitely want to try to leave my mark, but it won’t be easy because I’m also well up in the rankings, " Nibali said after stage 15 where the favourites crossed the line together after an easier ride than expected. The second week of the race was ridden extremely fast during several stages, and with the shallow gradients of the ascent to Cogne combining with INEOS and BORA's heavy presence, an unspoken agreement was had between the GC favourites to stay in the peloton. Nibali, who's climbed into the Top10 the day before, has taken motivation from his performances.

“I noticed that something has changed compared to the first week. I’m better, but it’s also true that unfortunately my season started a bit late because of the problem I had, where I had to stop and start again in March with all the preparation," he said. However, those issues may have been a blessing in disguise, as his initial plan of riding all monuments, the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France would've likely pushed him to either be fatigued or in saving mode at this time of the season.

Instead, he is on form that hasn't been seen for years, and contesting stage wins at his final Giro d'Italia after he was almost completely swept off the hopes of having a strong overall classification. In this final week, in which he should be able to thrive, he'll find plenty mountains where he can make the difference. “Maybe I arrived at the Giro d’Italia a little behind the others but not too far. Let’s see what happens in the third week," he concluded.