Nibali on cycling in the doping era: "I never used but I was watched, and they broke into my car"
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Follow us on GoogleHe is one of the greatest cyclists of his generation, but Vincenzo Nibali realizes that he also became famous in a sport ruined by doping. According to him, the Italian, who has since retired, won all three grand tours without ever having used doping. But he does admit in Corriere della Sera that he could have achieved much more if he had competed in a clean sport.
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Nibali's list of achievements speaks for itself: two overall victories in the Giro d'Italia (2013 and 2016), one overall victory in the Tour de France (2014) and one overall victory in the Vuelta a España (2010). The Shark of the Strait won three more Monuments with Milan-Sanremo (2019) and the Tour of Lombardy (2015 and 2017) and finished on the podium in seven other major tours. And that despite his troubled childhood. "I threw stones through windows and blew up letterboxes with fireworks. Messina was a mafia town; I had classmates who came to school with guns."
His father quickly put him on a bike, and in 2005, at 21, he turned professional with Fassa Bortolo. Between 2006 and 2012, he made a name for himself with Liquigas (including a Vuelta victory), but when he moved to Astana in 2013, his greatest successes followed. However, cycling was plagued by doping, especially in his early years as a professional. "My parents always said: if people force you to make the wrong choices, come back home. You can always work with us. There was a lot of talk about doping in those years, but my parents' words helped me find the right path."
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Nibali won the 2014 Tour de France
Could Nibali have won more if there had been no doping in cycling?
The problems of his turbulent childhood, the pressure to dope, and Messina full of expectations: Nibali did not necessarily enjoy winning for a long time. "I considered it normal. I always lived with the handbrake on, except on my bike. I said very little for a long time, and even under great pressure, I did not make any statements. Now I realize what a bubble I was living in; I only thought about cycling. Winning the Tour de France in 2014 was the greatest joy of my career, followed by a hellish year. I was so popular that I was attacked on the street while walking with the stroller."
He learned to live with it, just as he did with the knowledge that doping was used in the peloton. "I never asked myself how much I lost because of doping, but it was probably a lot. In the 2010 Vuelta, I was riding against a certain Spaniard, Mosquera, who was later banned. What if he had won and they hadn't known about it? I rode for leaders who went into races as if it were war. For that generation, it was cultural: if you didn't use, you didn't participate."
Read more below the photo.
Nibali was closely watched during the doping era in cycling
"The next generation changed that way of thinking. If cycling is clean today, it's also thanks to us," says Nibali, who claims he never even considered doping. Yet he was often under suspicion. "I won, I was Italian, and my team, Astana, was led by Alexandre Vinokourov, who had a questionable past. I was watched; they broke into my car and checked my phone."
"I'm sure they also broke into my house at some point, looking for evidence that wasn't there," he continues. Nibali had learned to live with it, perhaps because of his childhood. But many riders were destroyed by it. "Cyclists were an easy target, but I have never used drugs or doping in my life; I have never even thought about it. They have tested me a million times and can test all those samples again for another hundred years."
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026