Vincenzo Nibali certain that Remco Evenepoel will "almost certainly give away the jersey early on"
Cycling
Tactics in Grand Tours can be somewhat complex. The teams fighting for the overall win at times look to save their weapons for as late in the race as possible, and for that reason Vincenzo Nibali believes Remco Evenepoel is keen on letting another rider take on the responsibility.
“Opening time trials have always shown the big leaders making a big impact in a Grand Tour from the word go, so that in itself is not so unusual. Just think of 2019 when Roglič took the Giro’s pink jersey in Madonna di San Luca," Nibali told Cyclingnews. "So we’re seeing Remco do something [like] that, but the difference is that he did such a good time trial, one that blew away his rivals.”
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Evenepoel's opening day at the Giro was nothing but stupendous and truly opened the fight for the pink jersey. Giving time away for free to his rivals would be a bad decision naturally, but the Giro is known for it's successful breakaways in the first week specially in the mountainous days. As GC riders typically race conservatively over them in fear of being attacked and to save legs for later in the race, many times smaller names get big opportunities to jump into the race lead via breakaways.
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“The Giro is very long, and I think he’ll almost certainly give away the jersey early on to try and get it back. But a lot can happen regardless of what he wants to do," Nibali believes, with stage 4 to Lago Laceno being the most obvious place for that to happen. Soudal - Quick-Step will not want to take on the responsibility and spend days working at the front of the peloton even if in conservative fashion, and so stage 4 may see the team willing to let a breakaway go up the road quite a lot.
“The last week is really tough, the [Monte] Bondone and the uphill time trial and the Tre Cime de Lavaredo is a major challenge. It comes right at the end of a stage which is already really hard in itself, with 4,500 metres of climbing and when people’s energy is all but spent," Nibali continues - he himself being a third-week specialist who would've probably loved this route.
A year after finishing a surprising fourth place at the end of the race in Verona, the 'Shark' is now back at the Giro but off the bike. He details this new experience: “It’s a very different perspective, but I’m really enjoying it. I’ve always lived through this sport as an athlete and now it’s really nice to see it as an observer, from the other side of the fence.”
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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Good morning 🇮🇹 #Giro
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