His failures are as memorable as his victories. Vincenzo Nibali is not the type to hide until the last turn to attack, the last bump to accelerate. He won the Giro d’Italia in 2013 as well as the 2010 Vuelta a Espana, but he also almost snatched Liege-Bastogne-Liege, before being pipped by Maxim Iglinsky on the final climb. He also embarked on bold adventures (desperate, critics say) the Tour of Lombardy or the last world championships, without being rewarded on arrival. Third in the Tour in 2012 where he failed to shake the Sky duo of Wiggins and Froome, the Astana climber returns to try his luck in the race for the Yellow Jersey. With the image of a race stirrer, "People know that I can change a race." he says.

"Sky has a very simple race strategy. They manage to control the race in general. But sometimes, as in the Giro in 2013, when there was little details that bind mechanics, such as rain or cold, everything is a little more complicated,” says the Italian climber. “The race management becomes more difficult. We must forget the mathematical strategies. I'm trying to implement something complicated for opponents. This appeals to people, they know that I can change the race even if the Tour de France is not my favorite race on paper,” Nibali announced. “The Tour de France is an event where every day you're like in a war. This year, there are difficult stages in the first week, with a day that everyone fears over the cobbles of Roubaix." Ideal for solving the problem posed by Sky? Who knows?”