Giro di Sicilia: Vincenzo Nibali Places Second on Stage 2

In a fast uphill finish in Caltanissetta, Vincenzo Nibali of Astana Qazaqstan Team secured a strong second place on Stage 2 of the Giro di Sicilia, just behind the winner Damiano Caruso.

“I am quite happy with the way the stage was going on and, in general, with my result even if it is just a second place and not a victory. It was clear that Damiano was the favorite today as he is fast in this kind of short uphill. I feel like my form is coming after a big break and an altitude training camp, so it looks pretty good. I want to congratulate Damiano Caruso on this victory, it is good that another Sicilian rider won today. We are good friends, and I am happy for him. Well, it was a nice day spent with my team in a good way and I am looking forward to the next days here at the Giro di Sicilia”, – said Vincenzo Nibali.

Astana Qazaqstan Team worked cohesively throughout the stage to protect Nibali and ensure he maintained a favorable position. With the help of his teammates, Nibali was able to secure a good position on the last uphill. While sprinting for victory, Nibali narrowly missed first place and finished in second.

“I think we can be happy with the way our team spent this day and with the result of Vincenzo Nibali. We knew that Caruso was the favorite for this kind of finish, and I am happy that Vincenzo was able to stay close to him, taking a really good second place. After a training camp on altitude, he still needs some days for acclimatization, but today’s stage showed that he is on the right way. We still have two days in this race with the queen stage to Etna on Friday. Let’s see what is going to happen there”, – said Giuseppe Martinelli.

Unfortunately, two riders of Astana Qazaqstan Team Alexandre Vinokurov and Juan Carlos Lopez were involved in a crash, but both riders escaped with some minor injuries.

After Stage 2, Nibali sits in second place in the General Classification, trailing Caruso by just 4 seconds.

Photo credit: @Lapresse