'If you make a mistake, you'll pay for it' – Giulio Ciccone cautious but focused for Giro d'Italia GC attempt
Italian leads Lidl-Trek alongside Mads Pedersen
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giulio Ciccone will lead 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lidl-Trek's overall hopes at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giro d'Italia, with the exuberant Italian confident he can control his emotions and his performance and emerg꧂e as a contender in the final week in 🌱the mountains.
There will likely be fewer 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:sunglass-throwing celebrations🌺 and more GC calculations and self-control.
Ciccone chased stage victories in the early years of his career with Bardiani and then raced alongside Vincenzo Nibali at Trek-Segafredo. COVID-19 and then saddle sores forced him to miss the 2023 and 2024 Giro d'Italia but he won the polka-dot jersey at the 2023 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France and finished 11th overall.
This year, Ciccone carries the hopes of a nation, with the Italian tifosi hoping he and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Antonio Tiberi of Bahrain Victorious can fly the tricolore for Italy, as Ma🌱tilda Price highlighted in this special feature about the Italians at ꦚthe 2025 Giro.
Ciccone has enjoyed a consistent spring, finishing second to 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tadej Pogačar at the UAE Tour, fourth overall at the more recent Tour of the Alps after a three-week altitude camp and then was second to Pogačar at 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Liège-Bastogne-Liège after riding a 𝕴tacticaꦯlly smart race.
"To tell the truth, I wasn't expected to do so well," Ciccone told in a final interview before travelling to Albania for the Gr🔴ande Partenza of the Giro d'Italia.
"I wasn't looking for a pea♏k in form, I followed a usual Giro build-up: three weeks at altitude, without a block to freshen up before going to the Tour of the Alps. Now we'ဣll see what happens at the Giro."
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert ♌buying guides, direct to your i♚nbox!
The Lidl-Trek Giro d'Italia line-up also includes 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Mads Pedersen, Søren Kragh Andersen, Alex Kirsch, Daan Hoole, Mathias Vacek, Patrick Konrad, Jacopo Mosca and Carlos Verona. 2020 Giro winner 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tao Geoghegan Hart is expected to ride the Tour de France with lead sprinter🍸 Jonathan Milan.
Ciccone has won Giro mountain stages to Sestola in 2016, Ponte di Legno in 2019 and Cogne in 🅰20꧒22.
"I've won three stages, so now it's better to finish on the podium. But if I can take the pink jersey while winning the stage, all the better," Ciccone joked. &nbsꦡp;
"It's a tough Giro this 📖year, especially the third week. We'll need good legs and you can gain or lose everything," he warned.
"Of course there are dangers before then; there are a lot of nervous stages that people often underestimate. There's the start in Albania, the stage in my home Abruzzo regi𒆙on and the mountain finish at Tagliacozzo, plus the gravel stage to Siena. If you make a mistake, you'll pay for it."
The Lucca to Pisa 28.6km time trial on stage 10 could be a problem for Ciccone but he is quietly confident he can limit his time losses to 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Primož Roglič and other GC rivals.
"In truth, I've improved in time trials, we've worked in the wind꧂ tunnel, I've trained more on my TT bike and the team has helped me make the best equipment choices and find my best position. I'm optimistic," he said.
Ciccone names Roglič as his favourite, careful to superstitiously pass on any bad luck and pressure. He is also concerned about 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Michael Storer of Tudor, who 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:won the Tour of the Alps.
"If Storer is as strong in the Giro as he was at th🎀e Tour of the Alps, theꦍn he'll be the strongest. He was stronger than everybody and not by little. He could be the surprise of the Giro," Ciccone pointed out.
Pedersen will target the expected stage 1꧙ sprint in Albania, the first maglia𒊎 rosa and then other rolling stages and the cyclamen-coloured points jersey.
Ciccone will take a more GC calculating approach with a major long-term goal. ♔;
"Mads Pedersen is our go-❀to guy for stages, I'll take things calmly. My dream is to pull on the maꦏglia rosa and I hope to do it my way."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Giro d'Italia coverage. Our team on the ground will bring you all the breaking news, reports, analysis and more from every stage of the Italian Grand Tour. 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Find out more.
Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
You mu🌠st confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, yoﷺu will then be prompted to enter you💯r display name.