Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) at Worlds
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Italian Vincenzo Nibali was flanked by Frenchmen Jean-Christophe Peraud and Thibaut Pinot on the 2014 Tour de France podium.
(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
2014 Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana)
(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
He's back. After crashing out of the Tour de France Alberto Contador returned at the Vuelta
(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Vincenzo Nibali's 2014 season, including his dominant winning performance at the Tour de France, captured the hearts and imaginations of Cyclingnews' readers, who chose the 30-year-old Italian as the Best Rider in the 2014 Reader Poll.
Nibali's daring descents and devastating attacks in the mountains, even with previous Tour winners Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Chris Froome (Sky) having abandoned after crashes, raised his cache with Cyclingnews' readers. The Astana team leader's performance on the cobbles during the Tour's stage 5, which readers chose as the Most Memorable Moment of 2014, cemented the Italian national champion's place as a fan favourite.
Nibali knocked Vuelta a España winner Contador from the top spot in the poll by just two percentage points, and he beat World Champion Michal Kwiatowski (Etixx-QuickStep) by 10. La Course by Le Tour de France winner Marianne Vos (Rabobank) was the top-placed woman in the poll, taking fifth with more than eight per cent of the vote.
