Vincenzo Nibali: Remco’s time gap in Giro d’Italia chrono the biggest surprise

The now retired two-time Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali
The now retired two-time Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Italian cycling star Vincenzo Nibali may have retired at the end of last year, but ‘the Shark of Messina’ was already back at the Giro d’Italia this week and able to offer insight into how riders, who were his rivals as recently as last October, were now performing in the Sicilian’s home Grand Tour.

Remco Evenepoel’s spectacular opening time trial ride on Saturday was still very much the hot topic for discussion at the stage 2 start, but Nibali – famous for having a keener-than-usual ability to ‘read’ races –  said the Belgian's Soudal-QuickStep rider's dramatic opening performance had only partly surprised him.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.