"The Livigno stage on stage 15. That’s a really important day" - Vincenzo Nibali previews where 2024 Giro d'Italia could be decided

One of the biggest stars of Italian cycling, Vincenzo Nibali knows all about winning the Giro d'Italia, having done so twice in his illustrious career, (2013, 2016). One of the people who helped reveal the route of the 2024 edition, Nibali is predicting an exciting race.

“The opening stage is already really important with a finish in Turin,” Nibali said on stage in Trento during the presentation of Friday night. "From there we might already see the riders who are in good form. We can’t either rule out a breakaway as riders might be able to express themselves but then I also look at stage 2, 25 years after Marco Pantani did a wonderful race to Oropa."

'The Shark of Messina' took a total of seven stage wins during his Giro d'Italia career, as well as the aforementioned pair of Maglia Rosa triumphs. In 2024, Nibali can see numerous stages where potentially race winning differences can be made.

“In the second week we enter the core and these stages will make the riders hurt. Stage 10 is tough after the rest day and no stage should be undervalued. There could be splits in the peloton and I would focus on the Livigno stage on stage 15. That’s a really important day,” the former Astana rider explains. "The final week is the most feared one and it’s where the climbers want to show what they’re about. We start the final week with stage 16, and a very long stage in the Dolomites. It could confirm what we saw in Livigno or we could get some unbalanced results but the following stages are the most important ones, with three days in a row."