"I don’t have precise ambitions" - Vincenzo Nibali on Giro comeback

Vincenzo Nibali has taken to the start of the Giro d'Italia yesterday, and is an important piece of the Astana Qazaqstan Team. However, he departs without a set role, waiting for the first mountain stages to give indication if the Italian will be riding for Miguel Ángel López, or feeding his own ambitions.

“I don’t have precise ambitions, we’ll have to see during the race if my condition will allow me to ride for the general classification or if it will be better to go for stage wins and help Miguel Ángel López," he said in a pre-race conference.

It is understandable that with 11 Giro's under the belt, that include six podiums and two GC wins, Nibali is still dreaming of a return to it. In the last few years however he's struggled to reach the same level as a new generation is coming up with incredibly talented climbers. His last win came at last year's Giro di Sicilia, his home race, however this year he's struggled to be in contention for wins at the top level. At 37 years of age, his performance seems distant from his career best, however he is still a strong climber whose experience is critical for a team looking to win the race.

He's pairing up with Miguel Ángel López who is a big contender to arrive in pink in Verona, and he mentions the connection between the two: “We’ve worked together only in training this year and not in races, but we did race together in my first spell at Astana and we did nice things. Miguel is coming in with good condition, he showed that with his stage win at the Tour of the Alps.”

As for the race's outcome, Nibali is cautious regarding the first week and attributes to it more importance than some of the other GC contenders.

“It’s hard to say where the race will be won. The last week is very difficult as we all know, but there are also difficult individual stages from as early as the first week... There are lots of stages with small difficulties. I’m thinking of days like the stages to Potenza, Naples and Turin. They will be open to interpretation," the veteran concluded.