Nibali encourages Seixas to come to the Giro d'Italia 2027: 'He’s interested in competing, and that’s no coincidence'

With quite a few new climbs, the Giro d'Italia has unveiled a revamped route. Notably, there is no longer a grueling stretch with several mountain stages in a row. “Maybe there aren’t three gruelling stages in a row anymore, but the difficulties are spread out more evenly, and that’s definitely a good thing,” Nibali tells La Gazzetta.

There are already quite a few tough stages on the schedule for the first week. The first mountain finish comes as early as the fifth stage, with the new Sassotetto climb. Two days later, there’s a mountain time trial to Campo di Giove. This means gaps can open up as early as the first week. Nibali knows what it’s like to lose a lot of time in a mountain time trial: in 2016, he lost more than two minutes to Steven Kruijswijk. “If you’re time-trailing uphill and things aren’t going well, you can lose a lot of time.”

Two days later, there’s another uphill finish. Nibali knows that one well. “As for Monte Livata, it feels like home to me because my wife is from Fiuggi. I often set out from there, via Subiaco, to train. It’s a long climb with gradients that aren’t impossible, where you can pick up speed and build a lead.”

The Shark of Messina sees the sixteenth stage as the undisputed queen stage, even more so than Monte Zoncolan. “The Valtellina stage is relentless. There’s a 5,700-meter elevation gain, so just the thought of the climb is tough... The queen stage. And it’s a historic stage, because the Gavia Pass—in the middle of a double Mortirolo, on the toughest side—has never been climbed before. A brutal, potentially decisive day.”

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Nibali sees a course suited for climbers. Who should come to the Giro? “If he were to compete, Pogačar would be the clear favourite. I think the course is also very well-suited for Vingegaard. It would be a great challenge for Evenepoel. The best climber will win—there’s no doubt about that. And if I were Paul Seixas, I’d enter without hesitation.”

The Frenchman had already been toying with the idea of racing in Italy. Nibali wholeheartedly supports that. “I saw him race live in Lombardy, and he impressed me. I think he’s ready to compete for the win. He climbs very fast and is certainly not slow in time trials—quite the opposite… I’ve read that he’s interested in competing, and that’s no coincidence.”