A season with two winters led to the Giro d'Italia in the fall. The most unprecedented year concludes with the most unpredictable Giro, but the most consistent race of the past decade is about to become a rare constant in the chaos.

Vincenzo Nibali's preparation for the Corsa Rosa was fraught with uncertainty. By his own admission, the 35-year-old has struggled with form since the cycling season resumed after the coronavirus blockade, but the opening eight days of the Giro certainly put those doubts to rest. In this once-in-a-lifetime Giro, Nibali's status as the favorite has remained unchanged.

In the opening time trial in Palermo, his run was weakened by the unfavorable Sirocco winds, and two days later, in the friendly atmosphere of Mount Etna, the two-time winner showed more clearly his overall ability. On the road to Brindisi on Friday, the peloton was buffeted by a crosswind, and Nibali was one of the few GC men to make the split.

"Here at the Giro, it was a little bit of that day until Etna," Nibali's coach, Paolo Slongo, told Cycling News. But between the time trial and the Etna stage, we got to understand where we were relative to our rivals. But between the time trial and the Etna stage, I was able to understand where I stood relative to my rivals."

Sunday's stage 9 will take the riders through Lanciano, San Leonardo, and Bosco di Sant'Antonio to the summit finish at Roccaraso. Ahead of that rendezvous, Nibali is in fifth place overall, 1:01 behind leader Joan Almeida (Detunink-Quick Step) and just ahead of Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) and Jacob Fuglsang (Astana).

Meanwhile, two of the pre-race favorites for the win have already left the stage. Geraint Thomas (Ineos) was forced to abandon the race after fracturing his pelvis during the stage, and Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) left the race on Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19.

"The most high-profile competitors are not here now, but others, like (Richard) Kalapas last year, must always be respected. I don't know how far a player like Kelderman or Almeida, who is currently in Maglia Rosa, can go," Throngo said. If you look at Almeida's record, he won the Tour de l'Avenir."

Throngo's biggest concern is, of course, Nibali's condition. Having overseen the Sicilian's training in Liquigas, Astana, Bahrain-Merida, and now Trek-Segafredo, he admitted the obvious: neither he nor Nibali knew how to prepare for a Giro like this one.

The race was always intended to be the centerpiece of Nibali's 2020 calendar, and in March, when Tirreno-Adriatico was postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Sicilian changed his program to compete Paris-Nice, with an eye on the Giro d'Italia in May The Sicilians changed their program to compete in Paris-Nice, with an eye on the Giro d'Italia in May. By the time he finished fourth overall at La Cormiane a week later, the Giro had been postponed and the entire season was uncertain.

When competition resumed in August, Trek-Segafredo gave Nibali a complete Italian race program, avoiding the risks associated with traveling abroad (except, of course, to and from his home in Lugano, across the Swiss border). The trade-off was that few stage races were held. Nibali competed in eight one-day races in Italy in August, but the only multiday event before the Giro was Tirreno-Adriatico.

"Vincenzo was always among the best in one-day races like Lombardia. As a champion, Vincenzo always wants to compete with the best.

Nibali's slight diet in the stage race marked a change from years past, but the orderly buildup and high-altitude stints were familiar. With the exception of a few exceptions, such as 2013, when he won the Giro del Trentino just before his first Giro victory, Nibali only shone occasionally in the final stage race before the big goal.

"This year was like having two seasons and two winters. Everything had to be re-planned, and I think that those who pushed the program too far ahead, as we saw in the Tour, ultimately paid the price," said Slongo. In my experience, if an athlete rushes through the preparation phase or skips a few steps, they will have a different level of performance and endurance three weeks later."

"We took steps to get in shape right up to the big goal, just as Vincenzo has done throughout his career. That way, when you get back into shape, you can keep that shape for a month. While you are working to reach peak form, you are still missing something. But we've done well, so let's see what happens."

Of course, this rescheduled Giro is a most novel race, from the installation of a "bubble" to protect the riders and team surroundings to the simple fact that this is the most recent holding of this race in history. ), the fall race offers a new challenge. Nibali can draw confidence from his track record in October races, notably back-to-back Il Lombardia wins in 2015 and 2017.

"Vincenzo will be a great challenge, because he is motivated by the Vuelta and the end of the season," Nibali said. 'But he has never suffered from the temperature changes. Cold or hot, he is always consistent. The temperatures are already changing so much that in the last week we don't know what to expect: rain, hail, snow, sunshine."

There was a sense in Etna on Monday that the all-season man was warming up to his task after an uncertain preparation. More must surely be revealed on Sunday's huge stage to Roccaraso, with a total climbing distance of about 4,000 meters.