Cycling-Nibali shows signs of weakness on Tour de France (Reuters)
By Julien Pretot MUR DE BRETAGNE, France, July 11 (Reuters) – Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali, who was banking on the opening block of racing to make his mark on this year’s Tour de France, instead showed another sign of weakness on Saturday. The Astana rider could not follow overall leader Chris Froome, Spain’s Alberto Contador or Colombian Nairo Quintana in the final ascent, a two-kilometre climb at an average gradient of 6.9 percent. At the beginning of the stage I was fine but then in the final climb I could not respond to the accelerations,” Nibali told reporters.