BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhuanet) -- It has been a little more than 24 hours since Vincenzo Nibali sealed victory at the Tour de France. The Italian was all smiles as he topped the podium at the iconic the Champs-Elysees in Paris, winning the 101st edition of cycling's most storied race.
Nibali became the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Marco Pantani in 1998 and the Sicilian is only the sixth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours following his 2010 Vuelta a Espana triumph and his 2013 victory in the Giro d'Italia. 'The Shark of the Straits' finished more than seven minutes clear of his nearest rival. That matched Lance Armstrong's margin of victory over Swiss rider Alex Zulle in 1999 before that result was nullified when the American later admitted to doping. Nibali won four stages at this year's Tour and he reflected on his triumph.
"I enjoyed this amazing day with all my team, and the podium will always stay in me, like the one at the Giro, like the one at Vuelta. For now I will just have some rest, then I will think about next year's schedule. We have an important World Championship at the end of the season, so I'll try to get there in the best possible shape. I dedicate this to all the people who have stood next to me, who helped until the very end to reach this goal, because that was so important. It's for the team, for my family, as I already said before," he said.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
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