Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) is training on the track in Valencia, Spain, this week, to prepare himself for the 2015 season... but not the Hour Record.
"I don't think he'll ever attempt the Hour Record," Astana's head coach, Paolo Slongo told Cycling Weekly. "He's too skinny to race for the Hour Record."
Nibali won the 2014 Tour to add to Grand Tour wins in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. This winter, the team met twice in Spain to train together ahead of 2015. Nibali's aim is to defend his title in the Tour de France, this July 4 to 26.
At the 250-metre Palacio Velódromo Luis Puig, Slongo is testing Nibali and Fabio Aru while they ride in circles.
"We are getting important numbers," Slongo said. "Specialized has its experts here to help with such things as aerodynamics on the time trial bikes. We can make slight adjustments in their positions that they can work on when they are at home training alone."
>>> Vincenzo Nibali’s 2015 race schedule revealed; fewer racing days for the Italian
Nibali will begin his season at the Dubai Tour, February 4 to 7. He will continue with the Tour of Oman, facing Chris Froome (Sky), before returning to Italy.
His schedule skips the Giro d'Italia and takes him to the Tour de France, and has no space for an Hour Record attempt. Instead, Australians Jack Bobridge (Budget Forklifts) and Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing), Alex Dowsett (Movistar) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky) will try. Austrian Matthias Brändle (IAM Cycling) currently holds the record at 51.852 kilometres.
"Nibali won't, though," Slongo added. "Fausto Coppi did it, but those were different times and he was one of the first. Tony Martin and Brad Wiggins can go for it, above all Wiggins is the one that can make it stick."
Nibali told Cycling Weekly in September "no" when asked if he would consider an attempt. His track events will be limited to testing and honing his aerodynamics ahead of the 2015 Tour de France.
