SERRA SAN BRUNO, Italy (Reuters) - Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins has yet to show the form of last season that would make him top favorite for the Giro d'Italia, according to Juan Jose Cobo, the last non-Team Sky rider to beat the Briton on a Grand Tour.

"He's not necessarily the strongest rider," Spaniard Cobo told Reuters before Tuesday's fourth stage where Wiggins lost 17 seconds as the peloton split in the final kilometers.

"Personally I think (Italian) Vincenzo Nibali is equally likely to win."

Wiggins dropped from second to sixth overall on Tuesday, 34 seconds adrift of Italian Luca Paolini. Nibali is in fourth and last year's winner Ryder Hesjedal of Canada fifth, 31 and 34 seconds off the pace respectively.

Cobo, who toppled Wiggins and his Sky team mate Chris Froome to win the 2011 Tour of Spain, believes Wiggins may not be at his best, while others have shown they are in great shape.

"If Bradley had the same level as in last year's Tour then he's probably unbeatable but that's not at all clear yet this season," he said.

"Nibali has been very strong in all the races he's done this year and Wiggins hasn't yet had a chance to show his hand.

"Hesjedal has been very active in a lot of races too, and yesterday (Monday) when he attacked on that last climb, he showed he's got really good form," he added.

"That was very impressive, and he's the most recent winner of the Giro. He's somebody who has to count."

Wiggins has not won a race this season, while Nibali has taken the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race ahead of Froome and the Giro del Trentino, Italy's key warm-up race for the Giro d'Italia, ahead of Wiggins.

"Bradley is a favorite, but one of several, not the top candidate," Cobo said. "He's not been up there yet, but we'll see what happens."

STRONGEST TEAM

Cobo, who raced against Wiggins in last year's Tour de France but as part of his build-up for the Tour of Spain, his big target of the year, said Sky were the strongest team collectively in the Giro.

"When it comes to the third week, they'll be the ones who really matter, they'll make the running," he said.

Cobo said although he beat Wiggins in the 2011 Tour of Spain, wrenching the lead from him on the Angliru, Spain's toughest single climb, the Briton had not been in his top condition then.

"He was coming back from a lot of injuries and a bad crash in the Tour de France. It's nice to have done it, I won't forget that I beat him but you have to keep it in perspective," he said.

Racing injured after he crashed and hit his knee in the reconnaissance of Sunday's team time trial, Cobo was dropped on Tuesday's final climb of the Croce Ferrata early on.

"I was hoping to do well, perhaps even a top-10 result but with this injury, that's not going to happen," he said.

"My best option now is a stage win and to work for (Spanish Movistar overall contender) Benat Intxausti (who lies third behind Rigoberto Uran and Paolini). I'm not going to be beating Wiggins in this year's race, that's for sure."

(Editing by Sonia Oxley)

The statement was, in effect, a complaint about and by some of the most powerful members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, since the United States and Russia were included in it. They are known to possess most of the world's hundreds of launch-ready ballistic missiles that can be ordered to quickly deliver their payload, a nuclear warhead.

The 1970 treaty meant to stop the spread of nuclear weapons was extended indefinitely in 1995, but that doesn't mean some countries could possess nuclear arms indefinitely, the statement said. The treaty has been credited with stopping their spread of nuclear weapons to dozens of nations since its adoption.

"We heard clearly the message from friends around the world that they wish to see a faster pace on reduction of nuclear weapons in the world," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman, head of the American delegation, in acknowledging the concerns. But, he added, there has been "actual progress" toward that goal by the United States and other nuclear-armed nations.

Many nations "stressed that they remain deeply concerned at the maintenance of many nuclear weapons on a high alert level," said a chairman's lengthy summary of the talks. It also noted worries "over the continued modernization of nuclear weapons, their delivery systems and related infrastructure."

The Geneva session, chaired by Romania's Ambassador Cornel Feruta, drew 106 of the 190 nations that have joined the treaty, along with five international organizations and 53 non-governmental organizations.

Nations have "reaffirmed their commitment to the NPT and underlined their resolve to seek a safer world for all and to achieve the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," said a brief statement released at the conclusion of the talks.

As they prepared for the next major review of the pact in 2015, much of the two weeks of talks in Geneva revolved around Iran's nuclear programs which it insists are for peaceful purposes and on North Korea, which has undertaken provocative tests. Iran is a member of the treaty, but Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea are not.

Countryman called it regrettable that Egypt walked out in protest Monday, a reflection both of Arab frustration and the state of domestic politics in Cairo, after complaining that other nations are not acting quickly enough to establish the Middle East as a zone free of nuclear weapons.

But he said it was still possible that talks could resume soon on the global of establishing the Middle East as a no-nuke zone, a goal set at the 1995 review conference on the treaty. A statement from Egypt's foreign ministry had said the nation was impatient that the zone has yet to be created.

Saudi Arabia's official press agency, SPA, reported that private girls' schools are now allowed to hold sports activities in accordance with the rules of Shariah, or Islamic law. Students must adhere to "decent dress" codes and Saudi women teachers will be given priority in supervising the activities, according to the Education Ministry's requirements.

The decision makes sports once again a stage for the push to improve women's rights, nearly a year after two Saudi female athletes made an unprecedented appearance at the Olympics.

"It's about time," said Aziza Youssef, a professor at King Saud University. "Everything is being held back in Saudi Arabia as far as women's rights."

Youssef said she sees the decision to allow sports for girls in private schools as part of package of wider reforms targeting women, but that continued restrictions on sports is a discrimination that negatively impacts women's health.

Education Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Dakhini was quoted in SPA saying that the decision to allow girls to play sports in private schools "stems from the teachings of our religion, which allow women such activities in accordance with Shariah."

The government had previously quietly tolerated physical education in some private schools, but there is no set curriculum.

The decision, which also orders private girls' schools to provide appropriate places and equipment for sports, is a monumental step that will likely soon affect public schools and universities, which are also gender segregated, Youssef said.

The Saudi government plays a role in private schools, providing text books and directors.

Deputy Minister of Education for Women's Affairs, Nora al-Fayez, was quoted in local press saying recently that there is a plan in place to expand sports education in public schools. It remains unclear if girls would have access to the same level of physical education as boys.

Sports for women in Saudi Arabia have been largely a pastime of elites who can afford expensive health club memberships. They are often attached to hospitals since women's gyms were closed in 2010 on grounds they were unlicensed.

Saudi Arabia allowed two female athletes to compete in last summer's Olympics only after the International Olympics Committee had put intense pressure on the kingdom to end its practice of sending only male teams to the games. Their participation was not shown on Saudi TV stations.

Women's sports remain nearly an underground activity in the kingdom, which is home to Islam's holiest site in Mecca.

Only the largest female university in the kingdom Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman Unviersity has a swimming pool, tennis court and exercise area for its students. No other university in Saudi Arabia has sports facilities for its female students and staff.

Women are also bound by strict rules when it comes to their attire, so they cannot, for example, be seen by men while jogging in sweat pants. Almost all women in Saudi Arabia cover their face with a veil known as the "niqab," and even foreigners are obliged to respect local culture and wear a loose black dress known as the "abaya."

Female athletes cannot register for sports clubs or league competitions. They are banned from entering national trials, which makes it impossible for them to qualify for international competitions.

The government has turned a blind eye, though, to tournaments where all female teams play against one another.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is seen as pushing for these reforms. Other Saudi rulers have also quietly tried to modernize the country, with King Faisal's wife opening the first school for girls in the late 1950s.

But the monarch is facing edicts from powerful and influential senior Saudi clerics who are against all types of sporting activities for women. They argue that in order for a woman to remain protected from harassment, she must avoid public roles.

Despite such rhetoric, thousands of women work as doctors and professors in Saudi Arabia. Women will be allowed to run for office and vote for the first time in the 2015 municipal elections.

There have also been a number of incremental and significant changes that have afforded women new roles in recent months.

A law was implemented last year to allow women sales clerks' jobs, and women now have seats on the country's top advisory council. A woman was licensed to practice law for the first time last month, and a ban was lifted on allowing women to ride motorbikes and bicycles.

But with each move comes restrictions.

Women are only allowed to sell at female apparel outlets, such as lingerie stores. The 30 women who now serve on the country's Shura Council, which advises the king, were segregated from the 130 men in the chamber, and plans for a proposed barrier that would separate the genders remains under discussion. Moreover, there are no guarantees that women who become licensed lawyers will not face discrimination in the courtroom. Lastly, women may be allowed to ride bikes in parks, but they have to be accompanied by a male relative and dressed in the "abaya."

In other areas, women's freedoms are still severely limited. They are not allowed to drive nor are they allowed to travel or attend school without the permission of a male guardian.

A 52-page report on women's sports in Saudi Arabia issued by Human Rights Watch last year urged the government to set benchmarks for physical education, to set a curriculum to follow and to launch a public outreach campaign about girls' rights to physical education.

"Although religious views opposing prohibition on women's participation in sport are less frequently pronounced than those in favor, government policy is only inching toward realizing women's right to sport rather than taking bold steps to realize it," the report said.

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Batrawy reported from Cairo.

He also decides how much they get paid and what the contract details will be. So Robert Guerrero was somewhat prepared when Mayweather picked him to be the opponent for his first fight in a year Saturday night at the MGM Grand hotel.

What he wasn't prepared for was what Mayweather's camp insisted on putting in the contract.

"He asked for a rematch clause. That was the very first thing," Guerrero said. "It just shows me where his head is at."

Where Mayweather's head is at has, of course, been the topic of many conversations over the years. When he fought last May against Miguel Cotto the worry among his fans was that he would be distracted by an upcoming jail sentence, though that turned out to be unfounded.

Talk to Mayweather now, and his head seems to be fine. So, too, are his reflexes at the age of 36, at least judged by a sparring session last week where he practiced landing right hand leads against a fighter mimicking Guerrero's southpaw style.

He has to lose sometime because nearly every fighter not named Rocky Marciano lost at some point in their career. But Mayweather has a new six-fight television deal that should cement his status as the world's highest paid athlete, and he doesn't seem terribly concerned about a loss or a possible rematch of their welterweight title fight.

"I've done this my whole life," Mayweather said. "This is what I love to do."

Though Mayweather sees Guerrero as just the latest opponent for yet another huge payday, Guerrero sees things quite differently. He believes he is the fighter who will be the first to beat Mayweather, and he's eager to earn both the recognition and the money that would come with such a win.

At the final pre-fight press conference Wednesday he said Mayweather made a mistake by picking him as an opponent.

"They talk about this as Floyd Mayweather's home," Guerrero said. "Well, this is a home invasion."

Oddsmakers don't share Guerrero's confidence, making the former champion in three weight classes a decided underdog in the biggest fight of his career. But the once-beaten (31-1-1) fighter from Gilroy, Calif., said he's been underestimated his entire career.

"The only thing that means something is what you do in that ring," he said. "I just can't wait to get in that ring."

Both fighters were on their best behavior at their final press conference, though their fathers almost mixed it up. Floyd Mayweather Sr.and Ruben Guerrero who both train their sons exchanged words after Reuben Guerrero went into a rant about Mayweather being a woman beater for the altercation with the mother of his children that got him jailed for 70 days last year.

There is an undercurrent of hostility between the fighters, too, with Mayweather suggesting Guerrero who talks openly about his faith is a hypocrite for getting busted in a New York gun charge while promoting the fight. Mayweather also said that Guerrero used his wife's fight with leukemia she is now healthy to gain fans and sympathy for himself.

"It's laughable," Guerrero said. "I don't need sympathy, I come to fight. Sympathy doesn't win fights."

Though Mayweather is unbeaten in 43 fights and has been a pay-per-view star since his 2007 win over Oscar De La Hoya, he has been fighting professionally for 17 years and is getting to an age that historically fighters have had trouble with. The fact he's fought only four times since beating Ricky Hatton more than five years ago and has not fought in a year leads some in boxing to believe he may have as much trouble with ring rust as he has with Guerrero.

There are signs, too, that perhaps his appeal is fading, though Mayweather would argue that his fan base is bigger than ever. Seats are still readily available for the fight at the MGM arena, and the All Access shows promoting the fight on Showtime have generated little buzz.

A documentary on Mayweather's life that aired last Saturday in primetime on Showtime's sister network, CBS, also drew miserable ratings.

Still, Mayweather who acts as his own promoter insists the promotion is going well and people will tune in at home, even at a suggested retail price of $69.95. Mayweather's win over Cotto last May drew 1.5 million pay-per-view buys, his biggest sales since he and De La Hoya combined for a record 2.5 million.

"I think everything is playing out like it should play out," Mayweather said. "I'm ready to go out there and perform.

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Tim Dahlberg can be reached at http://twitter.com/timdahlberg