"I have to thank my teammates for this success."

Those were the words of Astana's Vincenzo Nibali after the finish of Tre Valli Varesine. Nibali won this old italian race with a solo attack on the final climb with only 3.5 km to go.

Nibali's victory was the realization of the great Astana teamwork started on the final circuit inside the city of Varese, north of Milan. Astana showed their collective strenght and controlled each attempt before Nibali's decisive attack.

"Last year I slipped on a pedestrian crossing and did not have the legs I have at the end of this season," Nibali told Tuttobiciweb. "This time I had the unknown of the jet lag and kilometer after kilometer I felt better and better.

"In the first part of the race we went very fast, we did the first two hours at 50km/h. As a team we tried to be present in the breaks and the race was not easy.

"In the end I talked to Fabio [Aru] to see who was  the best of use. He was strong in his return to racing after the Vuelta. We decided that I should go for the win. Fabio was immediately at my disposal. I have to admire him, his work and that of the whole team was key to the victory.

"In the coming days I will not race, I will go to see the route for Sunday to do a great Lombardy. The rivals are  people like Van Avermaet and Pinot who perhaps stayed a  bit in the background today but with the change of course it is a different race so I'm confident.

"Regarding the Worlds in Richmond we did what we could, of course we were the first to hope for something better. The course was perfect for an explosive riders like Sagan. It was like a Flemish race and I have never done those. It was a constant sprint to hit the first cobbled climb near the front. I struggled and was not able to express myself as I had in mind. I did today, I hope to do well next Sunday. "

Tomorrow, Astana Pro Team will be at the start of the oldest classic, the Milan-Turin established in 1876, arriving on the Superga hill after 186km.