Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Kazakstan) did not like Marmolada. He would have no second thoughts about coming back next year and doing this all over again.

"Not after the effort I put in today," Nibali smiled in the mixed zone after almost securing fourth place overall in the last Giro.

"My main emotion right now is fatigue. Marmorada is never my favorite climb. I would rather run the Zoncolan than the Marmolada. It's such a steep slope and a climb where you can't breathe well. ...... I just focused on keeping my tempo steady and not losing too much time to my rivals on the climb."

Nibali was put out of striking distance as the gradient tightened on the Fedaia Pass. While Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) moved out of reach, ceding Maria Rosa to Richard Kalapas (Ineos Grenadiers), Nibali climbed two minutes behind, calmly limiting his losses to maintain his position.

Before Sunday's final time trial in Verona, Nibali remains in fourth place overall, 7:57 behind Hindley but over a minute ahead of Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious). Although Nibali did not make the podium, he will be honored in the arena on Sunday afternoon for his contribution to the history of the race; his overall victories in 2013 and 2016 are only part of the story, and Nibali has created an era in the Giro.

"Even though I didn't make the podium this year, the Giro has been like a home for me because I've been on the podium a lot. 'It gave me a lot of emotion, but the racing also gave me a lot of emotion.'

Nibali, who started the Giro in a freelance role on the Astana-Cazakstan team led by Miguel Angel Lopez, saw his overall hopes seemingly ended when he lost over two minutes on Mount Etna on stage 4. A day later, when the Giro visited Messina, Nibali announced his retirement at the end of the season.

However, by the end of the second week, Nibali had put in his best mountain performance in at least three years and made a surprise return to the podium contenders. After minimizing his losses in the Brockhaus on stage 9, Nibali was breathless and aggressive around Turin on stage 14.

Nibali had clear intentions of closing out the Giro with a stage win, but fell victim to his own surprisingly good form as he moved up in the overall standings. There was no chance at all of breaking into the early breakaway, and only a slim chance of escaping Hindley, Calapaz, and others

"It's a great result for sure, but maybe my ambition was bigger," Nibali said. I was going for the stage win. It's always a unique feeling to throw your arms up in the air. In Turin, I was close. I was riding with Hindley and Carapaz, and they were marking me, too.

The Giro at this level seemed fanciful before the race started. Nibali, who returned to Astana this season, had contemplated competing in all five monuments, but illness ruined his spring campaign. His old mentor Giuseppe Martinelli did what he could to restore morale.

"When I got sick in the spring, I thought about giving it all up and quitting. Now I'm here. I can be happy with this giro."