Vincenzo Nibali gets on the memory train and reveals one regret

Jaws returns with memory to 2014

The Tour de France 2022 will stop, Wednesday, in Arenberg – Port du Hainaut, passing through roads paved by the cobblestones that usually characterize Paris-Roubaix. On the same finish line the Grande Boucle arrived in 2014: among the protagonists of that stage was Vincenzo Nibali, who finished third in the stage that started in Ypres (today, however, it starts in Lille) and was confirmed in the yellow jersey, laying the foundation for success in that Tour.

Speaking to ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport,’ the Shark got on the train of memories, talking about that stage: “It was already pouring when I woke up,” he recounted, “I saw the water falling from the hotel window and it was as if I felt it on me even before I went out.

It was a “beautiful, exhilarating experience,” Nibali added. “And then … useful. In the sense that a little extra respect for me was there when it came to passing. I remember in one race situation I was close to Trentin and before passing him I shouted `Matteoooooo’…. In the Astana meeting we told each other that it was crucial to place men in the breakaway and we succeeded with Westra. And in the race, I had to have companions close by as was the case, besides Westra, with Fuglsang. A successful plan: if you have two companions by your side, it’s another story. Then, I counted on my ability to ride the bike.”

However, there remains one regret that concerns those very roads: never having raced Paris-Roubaix in his career: “This year I had thought about it, but it was not possible,” admitted the Shark. A small regret, yes. But you can’t always do everything.”