Several stars attended the Giro d'Italia presentation but it was the newly crowned Il Lombardia winner Vincenzo Nibali who got the most attention. The 2013 champion made it clear that he is ready to focus on his home race in 2016.

Already last winter Vincenzo Nibali found it hard to hide that he would like to return to the Giro d'Italia which he won in dominant fashion in 2013. However, the Astana management preferred the defending Tour de France champion to focus fully on his title defence in France and also wanted to give room for Fabio Aru to confirm his grand tour potential which he did by riding to a second place finish.

Next year the roles are set to be swapped. Aru is keen to make a Tour de France debut after his Vuelta a Espana win and this should open the door for Nibali in the Giro. At today's presentation, Nibali made it clear that he wants to return to his home race and liked the course whose three time trials, seven mountain stages and gravel roads should suit his versatile skills.

“After two years away, I’m obviously thinking about the Giro d’Italia,” he rold reporters at the presentation. “The route for 2016 is nice and pretty cool. There are three time trials and so it’s a difficult race from start to finish. It’s a tough but I like it.

“It suits a complete kind of rider because there’s something of everything. There’s a real time trial, a mountain time trial, big mountain stages and other tricky stages. Even the crosswinds in the opening days could be a risk like they were at the Tour de France.”

Nibali has always had a desire to target the Olympics and the 2016 course in Rio suits a climber like him. This means that he is likely to skip the Tour de France and go for the Giro-Olympics double.

“Why not?” he said when asked about skipping the Tour. “Or I could ride in support of Fabio Aru at the Tour. We’ve still got to share out the 2016 season but perhaps its time he got a taste of the Tour. I could target the Giro and then the Tour to get ready for the Olympics.”

Nibali will end his season at the Abu Dhabi Tour later this week before he turns his attention to 2016.