The defining image of the 2013 Giro d'Italia and one that'll go into cycling history. Photograph: Sirotti
Yesterday I previewed this stage by talking about the day in 1968 when a young Eddy Merckx made the Tre Cime di Lavaredo climb iconic by attacking alone in the snow and riding to glory in what was his first Grand Tour victory. I titled that article, 'Memories of Merckx'. Fast forward 45 years and we had a real flashback as to what that day must have looked like, just in the place of Merckx in his World Champions jersey was Italian Vincenzo Nibali in the Pink jersey ramming home his dominance over this race by doing just what Merckx did and soloing to victory in the most atrocious of conditions for a win that will go down in Giro legend. It could well be titled, 'Shades of Merckx'.
Unlike Merckx in 1968, Nibali had no need to go on the attack to try and seize the race. He was already four minutes in charge before the day began and could simply have marked his rivals up the climb for glory. But true glory doesn't come about by doing that ... sure he would be the winner and he'd have the stage win from the day before and he'd still be a great champion, and many others would have gone conservative, but Nibali knew that to become a true legend he would have to destroy his rivals and win upon that famous mountain. Being the first to the top in the Pink jersey would truly mark his authority and doing it in these conditions would make him a hero in his home country.
He attacked with 2.5 kiloemtres to go on gradients that pushed 18% at times and rarely fell below 10%. His attack was more a turning of the screw than an out and out acceleration, but when he moved, nobody could follow. With the snow falling and the conditions getting worse and worse near the top he continued to build an advantage. The rest behind were in another race. Surrounded by wild, passionate and at times over excited Italian fans -- some clearly drunk and topless in the sub-zero temperatures running alongside and leaving me watching in fear that one was about to fall under the wheel of Nibali -- the 29 year old pressed on.
On the line Nibali had only put 16 seconds into Fabio Duarte in second with fellow Columbians Rigoberto Urán and Carlos Betancur finishing with him. Maybe he tired towards the end but it was more likely the pressure coming from behind that seen him lose a little time towards the top. Urán was trying to gain time on Cadel Evans to move into second overall, something he achieved, and Betancur was looking to make up a few seconds on Rafal Majka in the young rider competition, something he too achieved. To look at Nibali though, it's safe to say he perhaps also just sat up to enjoy the final yards and the crowds cheering him on and that if he needed to, he could easily have won by a lot more.
The entire days stage had come down to this climb after four mountain passes were taken out of the route due to the weather and with everyone having an extra days rest when an epic mountain stage was cancelled, also due to heavy snow, and the riders didn't sell us short. Everyone's legs were fresher than they might otherwise have been had they fulfilled the entire route and it made for a great finish today with Nibai proving the strongest as he has done throughout this Giro. I've said before that even had Bradley Wiggins and Ryder Hesjedal still been in this race, I doubt either would have beaten Nibali on this form.
Tomorrow they ride into the finish and Nibali will do so as the winner, though don't expect the race to be uneventful. The points jersey is still very much up for grabs though all it requires for Mark Cavendish to win it is for him to win the final stage. Nibali moved into the points lead today after his victories yesterday and this afternoon by 128 points to Cavendish's 117 with 25 up for grabs tomorrow. Cavendish should do it for it's unlikely Nibali will contest the sprint, but then again, stranger things have happened. It was thought Evans would be Cavendish's biggest rival for that jersey this morning but the Australian suffered another bad day by his standards finishing 14th, one minute and thirty seconds behind Nibali and gaining no points on Cavendish who himself had taken both intermediate sprints before the climbing began.
It hasn't been the greatest Giro of all time, not as a whole and thanks mostly to the weather interrupting climbs and an entire stages, as well as the early departures of Wiggins and Hesjedal, but today's victory by Nibali ensures that the 2013 Giro will have created a legendary image in the races great history.
Let's now hope Nibali reconsiders his decision not to ride the Tour in July, for on this form it would be great to see if he could make a run at the double.
Stage 20 result
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana in 5:27:41
2. Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (Col) Colombia at 17 secs
3. Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky at 19 secs
4. Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col) Ag2R La Mondiale at 21 secs
5. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 44 secs
Others:
14. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC at 1-30
General classification after stage 20
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana in 79:23:19
2. Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky at 4-43
3. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC at 5-52
4. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-Merida at 6-48
5. Carlos Betancur (Col) Ag2R La Mondiale at 7-28
