Vincenzo Nibali happy with final "tough and beautiful Giro d’Italia"

Vincenzo Nibali has won the Giro d'Italia twice, and has been one of the most influential and successful riders in Italy's long history of glorious riders. Yesterday he rode for the last time in the Giro, having finished an impressive race where he showed glimpses of his best legs to finish fourth in the overall classification.

“The final day was a tough one and I just tried to do my best on this last day in Verona. I knew the route and I just pushed as hard as possible. I tried to get a regular pace from the start and to keep it to the finish, still trying to manage with my gap to Pello Bilbao and Jan Hirt," Nibali said in a post-race interview. However, his goal of putting on a strong performance in his last outing at the Corsa Rosa was accomplished and he comfortably rode to a fourth place [GC] on the final day.

"Well, it was not easy at all and after finish I feel really tired," he said, however he confirms that the feedback from this race is overwhelmingly positive: "But, at the same time the arrival to Arena of Verona was very emotional one and I live some great moments right now feeling a great support from all the people around. I am happy to be here, to finish this race with a nice result, fourth place in the overall standings, and I can say that I am quite happy with it."

Although his race started off with a performance similar to his latest ones, shedding some minutes on Mount Etna, things took a surprisingly strong turn after he announced his retirement at the end of 2022. With leader Miguel Ángel López out of the race, he rode a consistent race from there on, showing good signs at Blockhaus, but later on solidifying his steep climb up the overall classification with a set of strong performances in the second and third week.

"It was a tough and beautiful Giro d’Italia, I tried to live it day by day with support of the team and all fans, who was cheering for me at the start, during every stage and at the finish," Nibali described emotionally. He did not get the stage win he's wanted, but got away with a more impressive result which should also motivate the Sicilian to hunt for wins later in the year.

"Now it is time for some rest and recovery because the season is not finished yet and there are some more goals ahead in the following months," Nibali concluded.