Cyclist descends faster than motorcycles, wins race

In his native Sicily they call him lo Squalo, or the Shark.

The Shark of Messina.

And on Sunday he was on the attack. 

In the last major race of the European pro cycling season, Vincenzo Nibali of the Astana team won Il Lombardia after a grueling 245km ride from Bergamo to Como.

A favorite going into the race, he attacked his rivals on the toughest climbs.

But they always managed to catch back up to him, and he realized he had to do something different.

So toward the end of the 152-mile race, Nibali put in a massive attack.

On a downhill section of the course, he took off, then spent the next several minutes ripping corners and riding rails in full tuck.

He went so fast he nearly came in contact with some of the official race motorcycles in front of him - who were clearly going too slow for Nibali.

Here's when he attacked:

He immediately got a gap:

He picked up so much speed so fast he caught a TV moto and had to go around it:

From then on it was a matter of keeping on the gas and finding the fastest lines:

And here he nearly hit a moto that was in his way:

Nibali has won all three major stage races - the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and La Vuelta a Espana.

He can climb the highest mountains with the best of them, but he's also one of the fastest downhill.

"I can't explain how I descend the way I do," Nibali said postrace. "You either have it or you don't."

It's unclear how fast he was going, but it's not uncommon for riders to hit 60-70 mph.

You can watch Nibali's attack below: