![\"TadejPogacar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/tadejpogacar-2-68ea8dd34d97f.jpg@webp.webp\")
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\nNibali hails Pogacar\u2019s dominance<\/p>\n
Nibali, who once shared the podium and even a breakaway with Pogacar in the twilight of his own career, was full of admiration for the Slovenian\u2019s continued stranglehold on the autumn Classics. \u201cWe saw once again Pogacar\u2019s late-season form \u2014 his dominance, his team\u2019s control and composure throughout the race. And then that attack… the kind of move the others could only watch,\u201d he told TuttoBiciWeb.<\/p>\n
Having witnessed the fervent crowds at the roadside in Bergamo first-hand, the two-time Il Lombardia winner said the enthusiasm surrounding Pogacar\u2019s achievements reflected well on cycling in Italy and the Italian public itself. \u201cThe walls of Bergamo and the climb to Ganda were lined with spectators on both sides. It\u2019s fantastic to witness such passion within Italian cycling. It shows that this race still excites the fans and fires up the riders\u2019 will to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Pogacar made it 5 in a row at Il Lombardia in 2025<\/p>\n
A message of faith in Del Toro<\/p>\n
Beyond Pogacar\u2019s brilliance, Nibali also highlighted Isaac del Toro\u2019s emergence as one of the season\u2019s most important stories. The 21-year-old played a key support role for Pogacar in Lombardia, helping secure a historic fifth straight win for the Slovenian, but Nibali believes that balance within UAE Team Emirates – XRG will soon shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw Del Toro working for Pogacar as he went for that historic record of five Lombardy victories,\u201d Nibali said. \u201cBut in the future, with the team\u2019s support, they\u2019ll divide up the calendar a bit more \u2014 and in 2026, this young Mexican will have his own Grand Tour as team leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
Del Toro\u2019s steady rise has been a major talking point throughout 2025, after his heartbreak at the Giro d\u2019Italia where he lost the maglia rosa to Simon Yates on the penultimate stage over the Colle delle Finestre. Nibali acknowledged that setback, suggesting it was part of UAE\u2019s broader learning curve. \u201cThere\u2019s still a question mark over the Giro \u2014 a few mistakes were made there \u2014 but Pogacar has been on the podium in every Monument this year, as well as his many victories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflections on the season and Italian cycling<\/p>\n
Nibali also shared his admiration for rivals who defined the season. \u201cVan der Poel\u2019s wins at Sanremo and Roubaix were outstanding \u2014 he held off Tadej\u2019s attacks with real authority. I expected more from Vingegaard at the Tour de France, but he made up for it at the Vuelta. Hopefully next year we\u2019ll see him at the Giro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the teams, he singled out XDS Astana as one of the season\u2019s revelations. \u201cThey\u2019ve really stepped up \u2014 strong all year, and Scaroni has been one of Italy\u2019s best from start to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about the image of the season, Nibali chose the World Championships in Rwanda as a defining moment. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s the most beautiful image of the year \u2014 something to frame as both a symbol and an example. It was a gamble, but it paid off. It could be a launchpad for a country that has suffered so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, the Shark of Messina turned his attention to the state of Italian cycling \u2014 and the urgent need to rebuild its foundations. \u201cWe have to start from the youth level,\u201d he warned. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to find funding, but teams are struggling and if we don\u2019t invest in our young riders, we\u2019ll have no future. The professional scene is wonderful, but without a strong base, there\u2019s no renewal.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the 2025 season fades into memory, Nibali\u2019s reflections feel like more than a retrospective \u2014 they sound like a roadmap. For Pogacar, it\u2019s a reminder of sustained dominance; for Del Toro, a sign that the torch may soon be passed; and for Italy, a challenge to rediscover the depth that once made it cycling\u2019s heartland.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nibali hails Pogacar\u2019s dominance Nibali, who once shared the podium and even a breakaway with Pogacar in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-217128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}