Vincenzo Nibali

Vincenzo Nibali
Nibali in 2017
Personal information
Full nameVincenzo Nibali
NicknameLo Squalo di Messina[1] (The Shark of Messina)
Born (1984-11-14) 14 November 1984 (age 40)
Messina, Italy
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11+12 in)[2]
Weight65 kg (143 lb; 10 st 3 lb)[2]
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Amateur team
2003–2004Mastromarco–Chianti Sensi
Professional teams
2005Fassa Bortolo
2006–2012Liquigas
2013–2016Astana
2017–2019Bahrain–Merida[3]
2020–2021Trek–Segafredo[4][5]
2022Astana Qazaqstan Team[6][7]
Managerial team
2023–Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
General classification (2014)
6 individual stages (2014, 2015, 2019)
Giro d'Italia
General classification (2013, 2016)
7 individual stages (2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017)
2 TTT stages (2007, 2010)
Vuelta a España
General classification (2010)
Combination classification (2010)
2 individual stages (2010, 2017)
1 TTT stage (2013)

Stage races

Tirreno–Adriatico (2012, 2013)
Giro del Trentino (2008, 2013)
Tour of Oman (2016)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championships (2014, 2015)
Giro di Lombardia (2015, 2017)
Milan–San Remo (2018)
GP Ouest–France (2006)
Tre Valli Varesine (2015)
Medal record
Men's road cycling
Representing  Italy
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Verona Under-23 time trial
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Zolder/Hasselt Junior time trial

Vincenzo Nibali (Italian pronunciation: [vinˈtʃɛntso ˈniːbali]; born 14 November 1984) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2005 to 2022. He is one of seven cyclists who have won all three of cycling's Grand Tours in their career – having won the 2010 Vuelta a España, the 2013 Giro d'Italia, the 2014 Tour de France and the 2016 Giro d'Italia.

Born near the Strait of Messina, his nickname is the "Shark of the Strait", "the Shark of Messina" or simply "The Shark".[8][9] His first major win came at the 2006 GP Ouest–France, a UCI ProTour event. However, experts such as Michele Bartoli have said Nibali is most suited to competing in multi-stage races.[10] He is a highly capable descender and bike handler, very good climber and good time trialist. Nibali is an all-rounder, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders of his era, having won Tirreno–Adriatico (2012 and 2013), the Giro del Trentino (2008 and 2013) and the 2016 Tour of Oman.

Nibali is most well known for his Grand Tour performances – finishing on the podium on eleven occasions – but he has proven to be a strong contender in classic cycle races as well, having won the 2014 and 2015 Italian National Road Race Championships, the 2006 GP Ouest–France and three 'Monuments' of road bicycle racing: the Giro di Lombardia in 2015 and 2017, and the 2018 Milan–San Remo. He has also achieved podiums in Liège–Bastogne–Liège and previous editions of the Milan–San Remo.

  1. ^ Farrand, Stephen (8 October 2022). "Emotional send-off for Nibali, Valverde in Il Lombardia". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 31 December 2022. Nibali received the most cheers throughout the day, the tifosi packing the roadside for a last glimpse of 'Lo Squalo di Messina'.
  2. ^ a b "Vincenzo Nibali". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team". Merida Bikes. Merida Industry Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Trek-Segafredo announce complete 2020 men's roster". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Trek – Segafredo". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  6. ^ Farrand, Stephen (23 September 2021). "Vincenzo Nibali returns to Astana for 2022". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  7. ^ "ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM". UCI. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  8. ^ "32nd Giro del Trentino, Stage 3 – 24 April: Torri del Benaco – Folgaria, 173 km". cyclingnews.com. 24 April 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  9. ^ "The Daily Peloton: 10th Coppi & Bartali Week – Stage Three". dailypeloton.com. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Bartoli holds court on the Classics". cyclingnews.com. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2010.