There are 20 kilometers left to the arrival of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, when The race radio crackles as it starts to snow on the final climbThe Giro riders are shaken by a shiver, the journalists in the press room are told that they will have to tighten the times, because given the amount of precipitation, the opening of the road for the descent will not be guaranteed for long.
«That day – says Valerio Agnoli – remains the emblem of Vincenzo's wickedness on his bike. We had managed everything perfectly with Tiralongo and a young man like Aru, who already showed uncommon determination, so much so that he finished fifth. I was also excited when I reached the top, almost 7 minutes after Nibali.A winning captain repays you for your efforts. When I saw him, You could tell he was happy, even if he didn't always let it show from the outside.But "Vince" is like that. He's never satisfied, he has victory sewn onto him».
Scarecrow Wiggins
And the The 2013 Giro d'Italia started in Naples, seemingly a century earlier.Nibali has already won the Vuelta 2010, in 2011 he came third in the Giro, although due to Contador's disqualification, the statistics show his second place and Scarponi's victoryIn 2012 he went to the Tour, finishing on the podium behind Wiggins and Froome. And in 2013, passed in the meantime to theAstana, is determined to focus on the Giro. In the flagship there is Giuseppe Martinelli, who has won plenty of pink jerseys, with Pantani, Garzelli, Simoni and Cunego and he knows how to do it.
Among the favorites, stands out the bogeyman WigginsThe British rider, who the year before, in addition to the yellow jersey, had also won the Olympic time trial in his home city of London, made no secret of his desire for the pink jersey. But the Giro and the Italian climbs are something elseHe noticed this at the Giro del Trentino, where he was unnerved by an attack by Nibali, he threw the bike against a rock face, due to a technical problem that prevented him from chasing him.
It's a wounded GiroOn the day before the Tre Cime, snow stopped the race, giving the riders an unexpected break. During this time, Danilo Di Luca's positive performance threatened to ruin the beauty of a race that had been incredibly exciting up to that point. This is why Nibali has the burden on his shoulders. the weight of the forecast, that of the heavy snowfall and that of Italian cycling once again put under accusation.
The flood of Pescara
Agnoli remembers. For him, who in 2013 is 28 years old and has already been a professional for 9 seasons, the pink jersey is an experience already lived with Basso at the 2010 Giro, that of Nibali's victory in the Asolo stage and of the long chase after the Eagle's escape.
«Wiggins – he says – we had already met him at Trentino and that nervousness had been a signal that we had clearly picked upWith a director like Martinelli, the team management certainly took this into account. For example, we knew that Bradley suffered from rainy days. For this reason, when we opened the window on the morning of the Pescara stage (it was the 7th stage, San Salvo-Pescara, 177 kilometers, ed.), I imagine he was desperate, while Vincenzo was laughing. In those situations he got excited and whoever ran against him was terrified.Pescara was an important step, because the Giro is won stage after stage.
«That day “Vince” punctured. He looked at me and asked, "What do we do now?" I stopped and gave him the wheel. My job in those Tours wasn't to seek personal satisfaction, but stay close to him, run towards him so that he stays away from dangerIt had been the same three years earlier with Basso. I gave him the wheel and watched him go away..."
The time trial and the rose
Pescara was decisive especially on a nervous level. The next day, it was in fact thought that the Saltara time trial would have allowed Wiggins to kill the climbersA challenging 54,8-kilometer route, no walk in the park: ideal for the champion who had built his victory at the Tour the year before on the time trial. Except that instead of finishing there in the same time as Nibali, that 1'24” left in Pescara kept ticking in his head.
«The evening before the time trial – smiles Agnoli – I was trying to joke to lighten the mood a bit. Sure, if you look at the numbers and statistics, we were done for. But “Vince” was fine and that day he started off much more mean than usualDowsett won the time trial, “Wiggo” came in second. But Nibali finished just 11 seconds behind him and took the pink jersey. An unforgettable day. We understood that Wiggins would not remain a problem for long, even if the Giro was still long."
A simple man
It's the Giro di Uran that sticks its nose out. Wiggins, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, did not restart on the morning of the 13th stage., In Visconti rising from his problems and first conquers the Galibier in front of the Pantani monument on another day held back by the snow, then the finish line in Vicenza. And on that very day in the French Alps, he had the feeling that the pink jersey wants to respect his friend from Palermo avoiding strangling his victory.
«The beautiful thing about cycling – confirms Agnoli – is that We are adversaries and we may seem like bitter enemies, but basically we are all deeply friends.It's normal, or at least it was, to do some favors along the way, because these are things you find yourself with. Gestures that are made out of respect for colleagues, out of friendship. And Nibali has these things. Maybe from the outside they may have seen him as a closed man, while its true strength lies in its simplicity. That's why, in all the Tours I rode with him, we had above all fun. Every day there was something new. Because he knows everything and can do everything, and we played with it. We've always laughed and joked a lot».
Emotions on the skin
The 2013 Giro d'Italia it ends in Brescia right after the Tre Cime, made even more heroic by the massive work of the Alpine troops on the route and on the summit.
«After the finish line of the last stage won by Cavendish – recalls Agnoli – there were 3-400 meters to get to the podium, which I did alongside him. I had goosebumps. I saw him stop at the barrier to hug his parents. I saw the pink jersey being cheered on by the crowd, which was truly a lot. And I felt part of that symbol was mine, even if only a little piece. I will never experience moments like that again., getting on the podium with the whole team was magnificent. It was Nibali and he had finally won the Giro of Italy».
"That's why when he announced his retirement in Messina," the friend reflects, "I was shocked. He'd talked about it before, but suddenly he seemed determined. An immense champion is leaving, where the hell do you find someone like him? And I'm not talking about Italian cycling, I'm talking about world cycling. A giant will stop. And now my only concern is that I'll have to train again to go mountain biking with him. He's finishing the house in front of mine, I'm sure he'll come back to wring my neck soon..."
