Vincenzo Nibali

UCI rules prevent Vincenzo Nibali, who was ejected from the Vuelta for an illegal tow, from racing until the Spanish grand tour is over.

The Astana rider was kicked out of the Vuelta a Espana after holding onto his team car during stage 2.

American Tejay van Garderen says he feels Nibali's actions on Sunday constituted a "flagrant rule violation," but the penalty was extreme.

The Astana rider is disqualified from the Vuelta after hanging onto the team car, but he says his team left him behind after a crash.

The Astana rider was sent home for holding onto his team car while trying to rejoin the other favorites following a crash

Fabio Aru says that he and Vincenzo Nibali can work together at the Vuelta a España

Vincenzo Nibali, Fabio Aru, and Mikel Landa will headline an especially dangerous Astana squad at the Vuelta a España

The BMC rider will forgo his USA Pro Challenge defense in favor of racing the Spanish grand tour

Vincenzo Nibali will reportedly race the Vuelta next month and leave Astana after the 2016 season

Chris Froome was the big winner after taking the yellow and polka-dot jerseys, while several riders came up short of goals

Amid questions about the legitimacy of his performance, Chris Froome pedaled through it all to win his second Tour de France title

Vincenzo Nibali's long-range attack earns him a stage win. Behind, Nairo Quintana attacks Chris Frooome, but it's not enough for yellow.

Vincenzo Nibali made his race-winning move when yellow jersey Chris Froome was stopped with a mechanical in stage 19 of the Tour.

Froome is in the driver's seat with just four days of hard racing across the Alps; here's what his rivals can do to beat him

The 15.9km descent of the Col d'Allos could see riders press their luck and attack off the front

An variety of nicknames — some humorous — are spread throughout the colorful Tour de France peloton

The reigning champion has struggled to keep pace in the Tour since its start in Utrecht

Defending Tour champ Vincenzo Nibali is confident with two weeks left in race, though he admits that Chris Froome is on great form.

Andrew Hood takes a look at what's worth remembering, and forgetting, at the Tour through the opening nine stages

The Tour de France enters the mountains this week, so Andrew Hood breaks down the race favorites before the road turns upward

The Tour leader thought 2014 champ Vincenzo Nibali would be taking time so far, not losing it, and he's got an eye on Tejay van Garderen

Vincenzo Nibali says he did not have legs to contend on final climb of Tour's stage 8

Defending Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali dispels rumors that there was any sort of violent confrontation between him and Chris Froome.

A domino-effect crash at stage 6 of the Tour de France finish ensnares three GC riders, but all avert major injury.

Tour de France cobbles result in a stalemate among GC contenders as Nibali, Froome, Contador, and Quintana escape mishaps in stage 4

Vincenzo Nibali and his Astana team threw everything they had at GC rivals on the Tour's cobblestone stage, but it wasn't enough.

After three days of narrowly missing out on the yellow jersey, Tony Martin earns the GC lead with a solo win after a day of cobblestones

Chris Froome sends a shot across the bow with second-place in stage 3 that earns him yellow jersey and puts GC rivals on notice

Two of the five-star Tour favorites lose ground — Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana — as echelons form against the howling North Sea wind

The defending champion was 18 seconds faster than Colombian Nairo Quintana, with Chris Froome and Alberto Contador in between

Vincenzo Nibali says his goal is the podium, but admits it will be a tall order to repeat as overall Tour de France winner

Defending Tour champ Nibali makes waves implying Quintana is dodging anti-doping tests in Colombia; Movistar leader refutes rumors

The defending Tour champion's quiver includes his all-rounder bike and his cobble-stage bike, among others

The veteran is no longer the king of time trials, and Saturday's stage 1 TT at the Tour de France is packed with potential victors

As he readies for his Tour defense, Vincenzo Nibali admits his offseason was "difficult," filled with commitments and an injury

Caley Fretz considers the top favorites to win yellow and their form following a range of different early season tune-up races

The wily Astana captain can drop rivals on fast, technical descents, and seize unexpected opportunities as they arise

Nibali claims another crown in Italian national championships, riding to a solo win in Torino

The combination of Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, and Nairo Quintana should provide an exciting Tour de France this year

The "Fab Four" could have plenty of company as they contend for the yellow jersey in France next month, writes Andrew Hood

Tejay van Garderen retakes the Dauphiné lead as Chris Froome climbs to a queen stage victory and second place in the general classification

Tejay Van Garderen lost the Dauphiné's yellow jersey on Friday to a bold, early-stage attack by Vincenzo Nibali, but vows to keep fighting

The Astana rider finishes second in stage 6, enough to put him into the yellow jersey as Rui Costa wins in final kilometer

The Astana rider is satisfied with his squad's performance in Tuesday's team time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné

The squad finishes the 24.5km stage four seconds ahead of second-place Astana

Nibali confident in his plan to retrace the 2014 schedule that saw him take his last win, the general classification at the Tour de France

The Critérium du Dauphiné kicks off Sunday in Ugina, France, with several challenging ascents along the eight-day route

The race across the French Alps features a talented cast of riders looking for a final tuneup ahead of the Tour de France

Early June's Critérium du Dauphiné offers Tour de France GC riders another chance to test form ahead of July

The weight of a nation rests on Fabio Aru's shoulders as the young Italian rides, for the first time, as Astana's GC leader in the Giro

The early season has given away little about the condition of the 'fab four' GC kings who have shown equal parts brilliance and mediocrity

Italians once dominated the Giro, but now, the tifosi may have to wait another year for a native son to claim the pink jersey

The 2013 Tour de France champion and his Sky teammates will kick off the six-day Swiss race with Tuesday's team time trial

With the threat to Astana's WorldTour license lifted, Nibali is giving his full attention to his pursuit of a big one-day victory

Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège could cap the spring classics season in dramatic fashion, pitting young guns against experienced veterans

Froome, Nibali, and Quintana all tested their legs at the midweek Ardennes classic

Flèche Wallonne organizers added a new climb near the finish of Wednesday's race, but the race could still be decided on the Mur de Huy

The Italian finishes 1:20 behind winner Michal Kwiatkowski in Sunday's Ardennes classic

The 2014 Tour de France champion pleads with the UCI not to strip Astana of its racing license

If the squad loses its WorldTour racing license this week, team officials say they will appeal the UCI decision to the CAS

Sunday's edition of the sprinter's classic pulls from past races to present an old-school route that finishes on the Via Roma

The Italian says he's focused on two upcoming training blocks and several races ahead of the Tour de France this summer

The Colombian showcases his fighting spirit by winning the annual race across Italy after bouncing back from surgery and a crash

Contador, Nibali, Uran, Quintana, Cancellara, and Sagan all weigh in on their odds ahead of the Wednesday start of Tirreno-Adriatico

In a pre-race press conference, Alberto Contador confirmed that he had spoken to the CIRC concerning his 2010 clenbuterol case

The 50th edition of the "Race of the Two Seas" draws big names for an early-season showdown

The stage is set for the first major showdown between GC heavy-hitters, in early March, at Tirreno-Adriatico, a one-week WorldTour race

The UCI announced that after careful review of an extensive report, it will request that Astana's Pro Team license be withdrawn

The Italian says not being in top condition right now "means nothing"

After starting his season with the Tour of Dubai, Vincenzo Nibali returns to racing Tuesday at the Tour of Oman

Vincenzo Nibali will get in some early season race miles at the Dubai Tour alongside Cavendish, Tony Martin, Valverde, and others

The Italian stage race has reason to celebrate its 50th edition, with Nibali, Contador, Quintana, and Froome all slated to test their form

Vincenzo Nibali confirms his plans to ramp up for a defense of his Tour de France title in 2015, which include racing the Dauphiné

An Astana team official tells VeloNews the Italian will most likely forgo the Giro-Tour double

Vincenzo Nibali conquered the cobbles on stage 5 of the Tour, putting even the spring classics specialists into difficulty

The 2015 Tirreno-Adriatico route will offer a mix of time trials, climbs, and flat stages, and should attract Contador, Nibali, and Froome

The 2014 season saw fresh faces emerge in the spring classics, worthy grand tour winners, and a revived interest in the "longest hour"

Astana's Paolo Slongo (right) has brought legal action against two journalists who tied him to banned doctor Michele Ferrari

The team of the Tour champion, under scrutiny for recent doping positives, was granted a 2015 WorldTour license, it announced Wednesday

In all reality, a downgrade to Pro Continental would be a toothless formality, but it may be the only option the UCI has at this point