Cyclist Vincenzo Nibali admits he couldn't keep up with his own teammates during the final climb of the tenth stage of the Tour de France

The Italian cyclist Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), the main loser in the tenth stage of the Tour de France, admitted that he couldn't "even keep up" with his own "teammates" during the final climb of the day, where he realized that he is "not the same Nibali as a year ago" when he won the race.

"It was a difficult day, I couldn't maintain the pace, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't find the right rhythm when pedaling. It's as if I had run out of strength. I couldn't even keep up with my teammates. I tried to manage the effort, but I gave up after 4 kilometers and tried to climb in the most gradual way possible," Nibali explained in statements collected by the Tour's website.

The Italian admitted that "it's clear that Froome has dealt a big blow," pointing out that "all the favorites" have "lost time" this Tuesday against the race leader.

"Van Garderen, Rodríguez, even Contador. We all thought we would respond better. All the favorites have lost very valuable minutes. From now on, it's going to be difficult. Physically, I feel good, but I can't give more of myself. I am not the same Nibali as a year ago," he lamented.