Tour de France 2014: Vincenzo Nibali Wins, Campagnolo Wins

Thibaut Pinot, Vincenzo Nibali, Peter Sagan, and Rafal Majka (L-R) on the podium in Paris. The last Italian to win was Marco Pantani in 1998.

Nibali (Astana) also becomes the 6th rider to win all six grand tours, joining Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi (Italy), Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Alberto Contador.

Nibali's win also sees Campagnolo's return to the top podium spot in the Tour de France; Nibali used Super Record components. Campagnolo's last podium visit with a jersey yellow winner was also, coincidentally in 1998 with Marco Pantani (note: Floyd Landis was found to have failed a drug test after stage 17 in the 2006 Tour de France; Landis contested the result and demanded arbitration. On September 20, 2007, Landis was found guilty and stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title making Óscar Pereiro the title holder; Pereiro used Campagnolo).

Today's Gazzetta dello Sport was yellow:

Specialized will be selling a limited edition version of the Tarmac SL4 used by Nibali to commemorate the victory; 60 of the 200 are reserved for Italy.

Podium Photo:ASO 

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Vincenzo Nibali Visits SIDI, and the Hospital

Vincenzo Nibali, "the shark from the strait", recently visited the SIDI headquarters in Maser (Treviso). Winner of the 2010 Vuelta a Espana, Nibali brought Dino Signori a really special gift, the red jersey from the Vuelta with one of his two Ergo 2 Carbon Lite shoes, autographed with a dedication to Sidi.
"Shoes are essential because they are a means by which the athlete is joined with his bike", explained Nibali. "It's the transmitter that expresses the force and power of the muscles to the road. I have a special relationship with my Sidi. Usually, over the course of a season, I don't use more than four pairs of shoes. It's become a tradition that about three weeks before a big stage race or goal I'm preparing for, I get a new pair of Sidi, put on the new clips and begin preparing to take on the adventure. It's almost become a good luck ritual. All the Sidi models are extremely resistant and last a long time, but in a major three week race, your shoes, like your bike and all your equipment, undergo a great deal of stress: falls, rain, dust and mud. For example, after the Giro I continued using the same Ergo 2 Carbon Lit for about three weeks before changing them. It means a lot to me to line up at the start of each new major event with my shoes in perfect shape, neat, clean and in order; that's just how I am."

As a gift Nibali was presented him with a pair of Ergo 2 Carbon Lite in the new “bronze” version.
On Tuesday Nibali checked into the hospital in Lucca for the removal of a plate and screws that had been inserted after he sustained a fracture of his left collarbone at the Elenco Tour in 2009. The operation lasted two hours and was successful.

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Vincenzo Nibali Wins Vuelta a España

Vicenzo Nibali (Liquigas) today became only the fifth Italian to triumph in Spain in the 75-year history of the Vuelta a España, the last being Marco Giovanetti in 1990.

With the right hand on the heart and nearly crying, Vincenzo Nibali listened Italy’s national anthem while being on the top of the podium in Madrid. He now has his first grand tour victory, achieving it at 25 years old.

Ezequiel Mosquera, 34 years old, enjoyed his first podium, finishing 41 seconds behind Nibali. "I want to be at home, to be relaxed with my family and enjoy a good meal with friends", he said. Mosquera confirmed at the end of the stage that next year he will be part of a foreign team, possibly Vacansoleil.

The podium was been completed by Peter Velits the revelation of this Vuelta a España. Also 25 years old, he was was the under-23 world champion in 2007.

Nibali thanked everyone. To his team: "All my teammates were close to me, and when I think what a champion like Kreuziger did for me, forsaking his own dreams to help me make mine come true..." His opponents: "Today was a procession, from a great old champion like Carlos Sastre, a role model in life and cycling, to Ezequiel Mosquera, who on the final climb, the Bola del Mundo, almost killed me." To Ivan Basso: "This year I've learned so much from him, about racing, competing, staying focused, about always being in the first 10 in the group." To his "Cannibals":"What my fan club does is incredible. They're not fans, they're real friends."

Nibali has little time to rest on his laurels, he leaves tomorrow for Australia as part of the Italian national team competing in the World Championships.

Photos: on the podium Mosquera, Nibali, Velits (by Bettini); finish line photo at Bola del Mumdo (by Sirotti)

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are very welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 1,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog and there is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page. What I'm riding.