Vincenzo Nibali of Italy celebrated his Tour de France win with his wife Rachele and their infant daughter on Sunday.
Shortly after winning the tour, Nibali got pats on the back, kissed his wife and infant daughter, and was mobbed by cameras as race organizers hustled him away to prepare for the final awards ceremony.
Vincenzo and his wife have been married for almost two years.
Rachele was born on October 4, 1985 and hails from an Italian town, Alatri, according to the entertainment blog Fabwags.
The couple first moved in together in Lugano in the spring of 2012 before getting married in October that year.
2014 Tour de France cycling race winner Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali and his wife Rachele kiss their baby daughter Emma as they wait for the team parade of the Tour de France cycling race in Paris, France, Sunday, July 27, 2014. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The couple announced the pregnancy via social media, with Rachele posting an ultrasound picture.
“Previously to their wedding she was a resident from the province of Acuto. As soon as Nibali met her he phoned a friend and said: ‘I’ve met a fantastic girl, I’m going to marry her’ and that was exactly what he did,” according to the blog.
The 29-year-old Sicilian Nibali is only the sixth rider to win all three Grand Tours — France, Italy and Spain. The last Italian to win the Tour de France was Marco Pantani in 1998.
Nibali won four stages — a feat not equaled by a Tour winner since Lance Armstrong won five a decade ago. The Italian wore the yellow jersey for all but two stages since Stage 1. His 7 minute, 37 second margin over runner-up Jean-Christophe Peraud equals that of Armstrong over Swiss rider Alex Zulle in 1999 — a result nullified for doping. Before that, the biggest margin was that of Germany’s Jan Ullrich: He beat second-placed Richard Virenque by just over 9 minutes in 1997.
Many naysayers may argue that Nibali was the best of the riders still in this Tour. Colombia’s Nairo Quintana, who won the Giro d'Italia in May, did not ride. Bradley Wiggins, the 2012 Tour champ, was passed over so his Sky Team could focus on Froome. Then Froome and Contador pulled out due to injuries.
But even before they left, Nibali had gained a 2-second advantage on them by winning Stage 2, surprising even himself. Then, in Stage 5 after Froome crashed out, the Italian excelled on cobblestone patches that slowed down Contador, who lost more than 2 1/2 minutes to Nibali. The Spaniard was forced into a need to attack.
Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, right, is congratulated by teammates as he crosses the finish line to win the 2014 Tour de France after the twenty-first and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 137.5 kilometers (85.4 miles) with start in Evry and finish in Paris, France, Sunday, July 27, 2014. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
On a downhill in Stage 10, Contador crashed and fractured his tibia. But Nibali, who is known as “The Shark of the Strait” — a nod to the waterway near his hometown of Messina, Sicily — didn’t stop there. He went on to win that stage into La Planche des Belles Filles. It was the first of three stages with uphill finishes that he won, adding one in the Alps (Chamrousse) and another in the Pyrenees (Hautacam).
Nibali said this Tour layout, announced last fall, “was almost made to measure for me.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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