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He won everything. But in the shadow of the podiums, Vincenzo Nibali also saw a lot, very cashed. In an interview without detour, the former Italian champion lifts the veil on cycling undermined by cheating … and silences.
Winner of the Tour de France in 2014, double winner of the Giro and titled on the Vuelta, Vincenzo Nibali marked the cycling of his imprint. However, behind his exploits, the 40 -year -old Italian had to fight against a vitiated system. “I have never boosted in my life, and I never even thought about it,” he said forcefully in a long interview published by The Corriere della Sera.
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Former runner of the Astana formation, Nibali has never been controlled positive, but he is aware of the practices of the time. He says he has evolved in a peloton where certain teammates “went to races as we go to war”, as doping was anchored in manners. “It was cultural. But if you didn’t want to boost yourself, you didn’t do it,” he summarizes.
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Even when he won the biggest tests, Nibali remains scrutinized with suspicion. “They watched me, searched my car, my phone, and I convinced that they even entered my house to look for evidence. The cyclists were easy targets,” he deplores.
“I have never wondered how many times I lost because of doping …”
If he has never crossed the red line, the “Messina shark” admits having paid the price of his integrity. He thus evokes the Vuelta 2010, which he won against the Spaniard Ezequiel Mosquera, disqualified for doping after the fact. “And if it was he who had won, and that we had never discovered him?” He asked with bitterness.
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Another striking memory: Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2012, where he was beaten by Kazakh Maksim Iglinskiy, also controlled positive shortly after. “I have never wondered how many times I have lost because of doping … probably often,” he admits.
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Now retired, Nibali wants to believe a cleaner cycling. “The next generation has changed mentalities. And if this sport has turned the page, it’s a bit thanks to us too,” he said, both lucid and proud to have always “kept your head high”.
