2015 Velo Awards: Nibali’s Vuelta park ‘n’ ride
Vincenzo Nibali's infamous tow in the Vuelta a Espana earns him the Park 'n' Ride Award, a creative — but illegal — race tactic.
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A crash, a split, a 30-second gap. Astana’s Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali was behind it, bleeding seconds. Then a team car drove up.
Perhaps Nibali didn’t think the TV cameras were nearby. But they were. And so, from the helicopter shot, the world saw the Italian grab the left side of the speeding car and settle in for a ride back up to the leaders.
Race organizers rewarded Nibali for his shamelessness by kicking him out of the race.
But perhaps the most troubling part — or at least most telling — was the unapologetic response of Nibali’s Astana manager, Giuseppe Martinelli, who said, “It happens in the Tour. I’ve seen it a thousand times. Try to find me an honest person in the peloton.”