Telegraph Cycling Podcast: Vincenzo Nibali completes remarkable comeback to take lead at Giro d'Italia

In the latest Telegraph Cycling Podcast, Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Ciro Scognamiglio of Gazzetta dello Sport discuss Nibali’s resurgence, asking whether his apparent turnaround raises awkward questions. But as impressive as Nibali has been, his late overall challenge has been aided by the collapse of his two closest rivals. 

Steven Kruijswijk, the Dutchman who looked secure in the pink jersey, collided with a wall of snow and ice during Friday’s decent of the Colle dell’Agnelo, just when Nibali was applying the pressure. Kruijswijk suffered a broken rib, lost the overall lead and, on Saturday, his place on the podium, slipping to fourth. 

Esteban Chaves, who took the jersey from Kruijswijk, cracked towards the end of Friday’s stage and then couldn’t stay with Nibali when he attacked on the Colle de la Lombarde 24 hours later. 

Nibali was also helped by a strong Astana team, who placed riders in the early breakaways on Friday and Saturday: men who were able to help him later in the stage. On Saturday it was Tanel Kangert, the Estonian. We have an interview with Kangert in the latest podcast.

There also interviews with Kruijswijk and his team-mate and unofficial bodyguard, Jos van Emden. And we hear from Joe Dombrowski, who was third on the stage, Alejandro Valverde, who moved up to third overall, and Team Sky’s Ian Boswell, who reflects on his second Grand Tour, and his second where he has lost his leader. At the Vuelta a España last year it was Chris Froome, who crashed out, while here at the Giro Team Sky lost Mikel Landa to illness.

The penultimate Giro d’Italia podcast also has the latest instalment of The Shark’s Tale and Lionel Birnie’s Tale of the Tappa. 

The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport and Eurosport