Vincenzo Nibali motivated in "last show of his Grand Tour talents" says Dombrowski

With three more high mountain stages and a time-trial on the menu, there is still a lot of Giro d'Italia ahead in terms of the overall classification. Astana Qazaqstan Team are trying to get glory after a rough race in the opening week, and Vincenzo Nibali is motivated to thrive in his last Giro d'Italia.

"We’re all tired and slightly cooked from the heat of the second week but with the final weekend including a mountain finish to the foot of the Marmolada glacier and then Sunday’s decisive time trial around Verona, there’s a lot of racing and especially a lot of GC racing to come," Dombrowski said in his diary for Cyclingnews.

Dombrowski has shown good form over the last few weeks, putting on a solid performance at the Tour of the Alps, being the last survivor of the breakaway in the ascent to Blockhaus and pacing up the Mortirolo yesterday in an attempt to break the GC group. Nevertheless, he says that "we’re happy to do it all for Vincenzo’s last dance."

"He’s a calm guy, I’ve never seen him stressed, but with the weight of expectation fallen away from his shoulders he seems free to race on instinct, in a kind of last show of his Grand Tour talents," Dombrowski added. Nibali rode into 32nd place in the GC atop Mount Etna, but has since climbed all the way into fifth place. With the experience of final week racing under his belt, he may be a very dangerous wildcard for the contenders for the win.

"Everyone in the team would love to see him do something special in this last week... I think he’d like a big stage win too and so will go out swinging. That’s his style." Astana Qazaqstan Team are keen on getting a stage win in the final week, and they will have several opportunities in the Alpine stages.