Vincenzo Nibali has indicated that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic may allow him to continue racing beyond 2021, giving him a chance to recover from a long career effort and a desire to make up for lost races in 2020.

Nibali, who turned 35 in November, has been a professional since 2005 and has raced 22 Grand Tours, winning the Giro d'Italia in 2013 and 2016, the Vuelta a España in 2010, and the Tour de France in 2014.

He had planned to retire after his second season with Trek-Segafredo, but in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, he hinted that the COVID-19 craze has made him consider continuing to race until 2022.

"It is difficult to say for sure now because there are so many factors involved," Nibali admitted. 'Maybe if we think about other goals, maybe we will. This year is a kind of recovery year because of what happened, everything has been turned upside down."

Nibali will return to racing on Saturday at Strade Bianche, then run the Italian race program through August and September, followed by the World Mountain Championships in Switzerland and the Giro d'Italia in October. Richie Porte, Bauke Mollema, and world champion Mads Pedersen will lead Trek-Segafredo in the Tour de France.

The Trek-Segafredo team recently completed a high-altitude training camp in the Italian Dolomites and returns to racing on Tuesday at the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain.

Racing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still causing new cases of infection around the world, is risky, but Nibali is confident it is the right thing to do.

"I think it is the right thing to do, to start all of our lives over again. Otherwise, our daily lives, especially our daily family life, will be severely affected," he said.

Nibali is prepared to accept a race without fans at the start and finish, as long as the riders' health is protected and the race can at least continue. "I think the situation will change if we make the start and finish "private" as we did in Paris-Nice. We have to follow a strict protocol. There are so many restrictions, even family members can't come to the race."

Although he trains hard at his home in Lugano, Switzerland, during the European blockade and has recently attended training camps, Nibali claimed to lack confidence in his form as he prepared to head to Tuscany for the Strade Bianche.

"Honestly, there is a big question mark over my level. Honestly, there is a big question mark over my level. I feel good, I think I prepared well, but you never know until you race against the other racers. Races change everything."

Nibali has competed in Strade Bianche eight times and is known for his bike handling skills. With the change in the race schedule, the race is expected to be dusty on Saturday with temperatures of 35°C and a dirt surface.

"I really like Strade Bianche, but I've never been able to get it right. The specialists have the advantage and this is one of my first races back. ...... Mamma Mia, you never know what's going to happen."

Nibali is the only current winner of Milano-Sanremo and Il Lombardia and will be aiming for both classics on August 8 and 15.

"Burn...we started with two monuments back to back," Nibali said. Nibali said of his strong start to the Italian summer race.

"The heat, the distance, the kilometers run, everything changed. Usually it's Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, which is the routine of the race. This time it was different. Everything is more complicated and uncertain, and everything can make a difference. You will know what you are capable of in the race. But it will be a very different race from what we are used to seeing in the Classics and Grand Tours."