Five years later, Vincenzo Nibali is once again an Astana rider. Nibali, a two-time Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner from Sicily, was tight-lipped about his goals and prospects for 2022 when he spoke with reporters at Altair's training camp on Wednesday.

Perhaps therein lies part of the appeal of his return. At Bahrain and Trek Segafredo, where Nibali was the complete team leader, his goals were usually touted in advance. For example, at a Bahrain presentation in Croatia three years ago this week, he diplomatically fudged the team's claim that he was aiming for the Giro-Tour double.

The revamped Astana-Kazakstan appears to have no such problems, and director Giuseppe Martinelli (directeur sportif) has already indicated that Nibali will be available for the race on a near-free basis. Nibali will be in Spain this week to finalize his team management and race program, but he seemed less inclined to build his entire campaign around one or two overarching goals, regardless of where he competes.

"Basically, the fact that I haven't decided on a program is also because I don't want to live this season with the responsibility of having to say in advance what my main goals are and the mental pressure of racing to get the best results," Nibali said.

"Of course, I have my own goals and there are races where I want to be the protagonist in some way. In the last two seasons the competition has really risen to an incredible level and it's getting more difficult. I've made the right start and now I just want to see what goals are the right ones to choose in the Classics and Grand Tours."

So far, the only confirmed date on Nibali's calendar is the first race, the Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana in February. Other Grand Tour plans for Nibali have not yet been announced, although Astana has confirmed that Miguel Angel Lopez will compete in the Giro d'Italia, Alexey Lutsenko in the Tour de France, and David de la Cruz in the Vuelta a España.

With the Giro returning to Sicily in 2022, this event is likely to be added to Nibali's program, even if it could not be confirmed on Wednesday. Nibali also softly dismissed the idea that he might compete in all five monuments this year, given that Paris-Roubaix has been changed to the weekend before Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

"There are many races I am thinking about, but I haven't completely decided yet. There are races like the Tour of Flanders. There's talk of Paris-Roubaix, but that's not a certainty yet, and it's more likely to be Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But we haven't made a final decision yet. But we haven't made a final decision yet. I don't want to say I'm going to this race or that race when I'm not certain."

Nibali competed in the Giro in each of his two seasons with Trek-Segafredo, but struggled to find his post-closure form in 2020, finishing only seventh overall. 37 years old, he is aware that with the rise of riders nearly 15 years his junior, the prospect of competing in a Grand Tour for overall victory He is aware that the rise of riders nearly 15 years his junior has diminished his chances of contending for overall victory in the Grand Tours.

"Obviously, the last two years have not been the best for me," he said. I've had a lot of bad luck, but it's clear that it's not a simple matter. But it's clear that it's not going to be straightforward. The others are certainly strong, especially Pogachar, who has great class. "

In Wednesday's edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Martinelli compared Nibali to veteran AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Both are stars, both know what to expect. They're both stars, they both know what's coming.

Nibali smiled at the comparison and suggested that his role at Astana was to help the team's up-and-coming players and also to carry the burden of the attack on his own.

The team underwent some changes during Nibali's five years away, including during Premier Tech's brief tenure as co-sponsor, but when the dust settles, the management structure is remarkably similar to that of five years ago when Nibali left. Perhaps in order for things to stay the same, everything had to change. Aleksandr Vinokurov returned as general manager, and there are many Italian voices on the staff, from Martinelli to director Maurizio Mazzoleni.

"Coming back to Astana is completely different. When I first came here many years ago, it was a new adventure for me. Because I am surrounded by so many young riders and I have an obligation to work with them and share my experiences."