Vincenzo Nibali is set to miss the 2020 Tour de France as he focuses on claiming Olympic gold in Tokyo, while also targeting his home Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Nibali's desire for an Olympic gold medal will mean he will miss out on a ninth Tour de France appearance, as the French Grand Tour finishes only six days before the men's Olympic road race in Japan.
>>> Mathieu van der Poel could delay start of cyclocross season ahead of busy 2020
Therefore, the 34-year-old will instead target a third Giro victory, having finished runner-up behind Richard Carapaz (Movistar) this year, his sixth podium at the race.
Nibali has also ruled out starting his 2020 season in January, electing to miss both the Tour Down Under and Vuelta a San Juan, by which time he will have left Bahrain-Merida and joined Trek-Segafredo. The two-time Giro winner says he is disappointed with his third and final year at Bahrain-Merida, but is looking forward to a fresh start at the American team.
"This season has not been super. In the last part I got a little carried away, it was also emotionally difficult. But for 2020, with the change of team, I have new and great feelings," Nibali told OA Sport.
Age has not appeared to curtail the Italian's ambitions, with Nibali apparently also targeting the 2020 UCI Road World Championships, with a Swiss parcours in Aigle-Martigny suited to climbers.
The 2020 Tour de France route is set to be unveiled on Tuesday October 15, while the Giro d'Italia route will be announced a week later on Thursday October 24.
Missing the 2020 Tour de France could prove to be a wise move for the Italian, who has not managed a top 10 finish at the race since 2015 when he finished fourth, a year after claiming the yellow jersey in his sole victory.
Meanwhile, in his three Giro d'Italia appearances since 2016, he has finished on the podium every time, with his second win coming at the 2016 edition.
The 2020 Tour de France is also set to be stacked with climbing talent, as Ineos and Jumbo-Visma take the two strongest line-ups. Ineos will have four Grand Tour winners to choose from in Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz, while Jumbo-Visma boast new signing Tom Dumoulin as well as Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič and Steven Kruijswijk, who finished third in the Tour this year.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
Vincenzo Nibali compared to Zlatan Ibrahimović by impressed Astana-Qazaqstan DS: 'He has some surprises in store'The Italian last won a race in October, his first in more than two years
-
Vincenzo Nibali: 'My final year? I haven't made a decision yet'
The Italian returns to Astana for 2022, but hasn't yet figured out whether it will be his swansong
-
Vincenzo Nibali abandons Tour de France 2021
The Italian star is the latest to leave the race ahead of the Olympics
-
Vincenzo Nibali: 'My Giro started uphill and isn't getting much better'
Italian throws support behind team-mate Giulio Ciccone after crash on stage eight
-
Astana-Premier Tech sports director wants Vincenzo Nibali to finish his career with the team
The general manager of Astana-Premier Tech has said that he wants Vincenzo Nibali to return to his team for the last season of his career.
-
Vincenzo Nibali says riders should switch off bike computers following Mathieu van der Poel’s Strade Bianche win
Vincenzo Nibali has said riders should avoid looking at their power meters in races, after Mathieu van der Poel’s phenomenal victory in Strade Bianche.
-
Tirreno-Adriatico 2021 start list: Simon Yates, Tadej Pogačar and Geraint Thomas to battle for the title
The start list is coming together nicely for the race of the two seas with some of the sports biggest names down to race (March 10-16)
-
Vincenzo Nibali says today is the Giro d’Italia queen stage after changes to final mountain day
Vincenzo Nibali said today’s stage 18 of the Giro d’Italia is now the Queen Stage of the race, after the changes to the route on the final mountain day.
