Prior to the Tour de France, Vincenzo Nibali faced criticism for his form – flashes of brilliance were all too brief until he blasted to stage two with a daring, perfectly-timed acceleration on stage two.
Into the yellow jersey, attention then turned to the cobbled stage five and his inexperience of the pavé – something shared by his team-mates with the Kazakhstani team not known for being Classics hard men in Northern France.
But if he was nervous or struggling with the cobblestoned sectors, he did not show it – his mastery of the pavé showing phenomenal bike handling skills.
Really, we should not have expected anything less – an accomplished time triallist on his day, a superb all-round climber, a phenomenal rider on the descents and now a master of the cobbles.
Could Vincenzo Nibali, now, be the best all-round rider on the WorldTour? His early-season form may suggest otherwise but a yellow jersey on one of the most varied Tour de France routes in the race’s history would put paid to those doubts.
There is a long way to go yet, and the Shark still has to prove himself on the hors categorie summit finishes, but for now at least he deserves all the plaudits pouring his way.
