Vincenzo Nibali, one of seven cyclists to win all three Grand Tours and the last Italian to win the Tour de France, reportedly said he will retire at the end of this season.
Nibali, 37, made the announcement after Wednesday’s fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia in his hometown of Messina.
“I was waiting for this stage for a while, for years, it’s where I started to ride and train, so I wanted to confirm that this is my last Giro and my last season,” a tearful Nibali said, according to multiple reports. “It’s time to call it a day. I’ve done so much for so long, but it’s the right time.”
Nibali won the Giro in 2013 and 2016. He also won the Vuelta a España in 2010 and the Tour de France in 2014. He has 11 Grand Tour podiums in all, the last at the 2019 Giro.
With his Tour de France title, Nibali became the sixth man to win all three Grand Tours, joining Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, Italian Felice Gimondi, Belgian Eddy Merckx and Spaniard Alberto Contador. Brit Chris Froome later joined the group.
Nibali, nicknamed “The Shark,” was the only man other than Froome to win the Tour de France between 2013 and 2017, capitalizing in 2014 after Froome abandoned due to crashes in the first week while Nibali held the general classification lead. Nibali became the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Marco Pantani in 1998.
He was also the only rider not from Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers to win the Tour from 2012 through 2019.
Nibali also raced in the last four Olympics with a best finish of 14th in the time trial in 2008.
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