Vincenzo Nibali doesn’t hide when talking about Alejandro Valverde

Last pro race for Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde

At the starting line of his last race as a professional, the Giro di Lombardia, Vincenzo Nibali spoke about his emotions at the start in Bergamo, not forgetting that one of his fiercest rivals, Alejandro Valverde, is like him at the farewell step in the very race on the Lombardy roads.

“There are many of us today, all ready to give us battle. In any case, outside the racing world we are all friends. Valverde? I am convinced that, like me, he wants to be a protagonist in this race. He has also had a wonderful career, and I am glad we can share the excitement of the last race in professional cycling here.”

Nibali announced during the last Giro d’Italia his intention to retire at the end of the season, without changing his mind: the Giro di Lombardia, a race the Shark is fond of and won twice, in 2015 and 2017, is his last race as a professional cyclist.