Being one of the only seven winners of the three grand tours is within the reach of the chosen ones. Among them is Vincenzo Nibali who, after his retirement as a professional cyclist in 2022, has entered the world of Mountain bike.
His debut with the fat wheel could not be of greater substance and it is that in this 2023 will debut in Andalucía Bike Race by GARMIN, as ‘El Tiburón de Messina’ tells us: “I found out about the test through my friend Giuseppe Pellegrino, since he told me that it could be a good opportunity before facing the Cape Epic. I asked my partner Ivan Santaromita if he wanted to participate, since he has never raced in MTB, so it is a good opportunity to start to get the feeling of running in pairs”.
Despite the novelty of seeing Nibali on a mountain bike for the cycling public, it is not for the Italian: “MTB is a passion that I have always had since I was a child, but unfortunately I had to leave this discipline for the road, Now I can dedicate much more time to it. The world of mountain biking seems very fun to me and also much closer to people and, of course, in close contact with nature”.
Returning to Spain, where Nibali became La Vuelta Champion in 2010, is a source of joy for the transalpine cyclist: “I have raced a lot in Spain and I appreciate the support of the public. My greatest memory is winning the Vuelta, and this year it was in Spain where I decided to ride my last big one as a professional, right where I won a Grand Tour for the first time”. Despite being “retired”, once the drums of war sound, Vincenzo Nibali knows that the race is unforgiving: “It will be a hard week, but we will have fun for sure”. The show is guaranteed.