Nibali animates decaffeinated Giro

If it was the fourth quarter of a football game, Vincenzo Nibali threw the cycling equivalent of a Hail Mary, connecting the long bomb to put him right on the goal line with seconds to play.

The Shark’s daring attack blew open a somewhat blocked, back-and-forth Giro d’Italia, and single-handedly turned the race upside.

In a nation known for its exuberance, its passion, and its color, this Giro was a little bit decaffeinated, at least for local tastes. Sure, the racing has been intense, but the 99th Giro was lacking those larger-than-life moments that make the Italian grand tour so endearing.

Well, Friday’s two-climb smasher over the Alps changed all that. It seemed to pack two weeks of headlines into one action-packed stage. The GC changed, the pink jersey crashed, another favorite went out in a harrowing crash, (Katusha’s Ilnur Zakarin), and the Giro saw a fresh-faced Esteban Chaves don the pink jersey — only the third Colombian to do so. All stories in their own right.

The instigator: Nibali, who else?

Just 48 hours ago, Astana’s Italian champ was in “crisis.” He couldn’t understand — or rather, the Italian media didn’t understand why he wasn’t smashing this Giro. With all three of the “big four” — Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome and Alberto Contador — steering clear of Italy this month, everyone thought Nibali would win in a cakewalk. There were whispers of a mysterious ailment. A pact against Astana. …

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