Originally Posted by
Fat Boy
I guess what I'm seeing is a chicken/egg scenario. Is he low on confidence because he can't produce the power, or is he low on power because he lacks confidence?
Either is plausible.
I have found that it's difficult to judge someone's confidence level based on a few quotes picked by a journalist uttered by a guy in his 2nd or 3rd language. Given Nibali's history, and the usual mind games and fatigue level this deep in a stage race, I will give his mental toughness the benefit of the doubt. He's shown to take the long view during other GT's, losing battles but winning the war.
Stage races are all about the long game, the longer the stage race, the longer the view needs to be. I've won or podiumed 2, 3, and 5 day events, and there are times when you live to fight another day.
Blowing up, to answer the OP, is just a phrase that, like "base", means different things to different people. What you need to know are limiters, and those come in a wide range of things mental and physical.