Having switched from Cannondale to Astana in the winter, Vincenzo Nibali entered 2013 carrying high expectations and certainly lived up to them. His overall victory at the Giro d’Italia and second place at the Vuelta a Espana were complemented by a successful defence of his Tirreno-Adriatico crown and winning the Giro del Trentino. At some point in the season, all of Nibali’s rivals – including Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Joaquim Rodriguez – were beaten by the 28-year-old Italian.

His consistency in the mountains at the Giro showed his immense climbing skills and while he had to wait until the stage 18 time trial and the penultimate stage for individual victories, his overall lead had already started to appear unassailable. Nibali’s victory on the Tre Cime di Lavaredo ensured the Giro was sealed in style too, powering through the driving snow to catch the early escapees before dropping climbing aces Rigoberto Uran and Carlos Betancur and soloing to victory. The Italian’s consistency shone through at the Vuelta too, as his climbing ability once again came to the fore to keep him in the hunt for the red jersey, a fight Nibali carried to the penultimate stage.