Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) believes he may have a chance to win the London 2012 Olympics road race this Saturday, as he says the course can prove more selective than expected.

There has long been talked about a bunch and the Italian has brought fast men, Elia Viviani (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF Inox), to the race, but Nibali wants to try to win an Olympic gold medal.

“It’s not a given that it will end in a sprint,” Nibali told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’ve come out of the Tour in great condition and I’m aiming to do a great race. I’m not giving up on my personal ambitions before we start, but if instead the race stays together until the final lap, then I’ll put myself at the disposal of the quickest azzurri. Let’s say that at that point, I’d give what I hope to receive at the Worlds in Valkenburg on a much more selective course.”

Mark Cavendish (Sky) is the favourite to take Olympic gold, but Nibali also believe that some of the riders who show up with no teammates can do win too, like Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale).

“If there’s a sprint, Cavendish will certainly be the number one favourite but Sagan could cause him a lot of problems,” Nibali said. “In any case, I’m not so convinced that it will finish in a sprint. Traditional logic goes out the window at the Olympics. The peloton isn’t as congested and the national teams have a maximum of five riders in the race.”

When the Olympic Games are over, Nibali will probably announce that he has signed with Astana for the 2013 season. “There are still some details missing but that should be the case,” he said.”