Cycling: Vincenzo Nibali set to peak at the Tour de France, says Astana chief

Nibali struggled at the Criterium du Dauphine - the traditional pre-Tour warm-up race - failing to match the likes of Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Chris Froome (Team Sky) and eventual champion Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp).

The 29-year-old Italian eventually finished seventh overall, two minutes and 12 seconds behind Talansky, but Slongo, who has been training with Nibali in the Dolomites in north-east Italy, believes the Astana cyclist will hit his peak just before the Tour de France begins on July 5.

"They're already at their best and can't improve anymore," Slongo told Gazzetta dello Sport , when asked about Contador and Froome.

"Nibali has to reach 100 per cent during the first week of the Tour de France, there's still a month until the key mountain stages of the Tour. I would have been worried if Nibali had been at his best at the Dauphine.

"Now's the time to do the high-intensity work; to give him what he needs. He's already recovered 10 watts at his threshold but he's still got some high-intensity work to do."

Nibali is similarly unconcerned by his performance at the Dauphine.

"At the Dauphine Froome looked us in the eye and was determined to drop us," he said.

"I managed to limit my losses pretty well, especially considering that I hadn't really done any high-end work and didn"t want to go too deep into the red. I'm confident, I can only get better."

Slongo's training programme for Nibali in the Italian mountains has focused on simulating the types of attacks Astana will face from the likes of reigning Tour de France champion Froome and two-time winner Contador.

Nibali must try and catch Slongo, who plays the role of a rival on a scooter, having analysed exactly how Froome and Contador attack.

"I often tell Vincenzo: 'I'm Froome, come and get me,'" Slongo said.

"The workouts last between 10-15 minutes, divided into jumps and accelerations. I accelerate every minute and then when I blow the horn, Vincenzo goes. Just like in a race, he's got to catch me and go past me."

Slongo added: "Froome weighed between 65-66 kilograms at the Dauphine, Contador was 63kg. They produced about 400-410 watts at threshold and when they attack, they can hold 430 watts for between 20-30 minutes.

"Froome accelerates for 20-30 seconds, with peaks of 450-480 watts. Then he eases back and stays at 380-400 watts. Due to physiological limits, this phase can last between 10-15 minutes, not more."