Bernal straightens up after collapse in Vuelta classification, Ciccone was there mostly on pure character: "I feel really sick"

Giulio Ciccone had been dealing with the early signs of a saddle sore in the second week, which is rarely a good sign. And it showed, he appeared at the finish of stage 15 with a completely blocked nose and bags under his eyes. “It was mentally tough for me because I really feel sick,” said the 30-year-old Italian in his Eurosport interview.

Ciccone had actually been doing quite well in the GC over the first 13 days, even though that wasn’t his original goal going into the Vuelta. After already losing some time in the second week, he completely cracked in stage 14. He dropped early from the favorites group and eventually finished over 21 minutes down, accompanied by teammate Julien Bernard.

A sore butt, a looming flu… On Sunday, Ciccone would’ve gladly taken a rest day and cruised along in the peloton. “But the goal was to win as a team, so I raced with my head rather than my legs. That actually makes the result feel even better. I really wanted to be part of this, even though it was incredibly hard.”

A textbook example of character. There’s a chance Ciccone won’t start after the second rest day, allowing him to shift focus to the World Championships in Rwanda. Pedersen’s stage win may well have been his final effort. “We started with a plan and we pulled it off. We’ve tried so many times this Vuelta, it hasn’t been easy for us, but this one we’re going to enjoy.”

Bernal’s presence in the breakaway came as a bit of a surprise. The Colombian rider from INEOS Grenadiers had a strong first week, just like Ciccone. But in the second week, his form faded. On Saturday, he lost a staggering 21 minutes and 45 seconds, seemingly without any physical issues.

Still, he gave it his best and joined the break. “I enjoyed it in a different way, it’s been a long time since I was part of a break like this. The finale wasn’t too hard, but against guys like Pedersen, you know it’ll be tough. We gave it a shot anyway. Magnus (Sheffield) wanted to go for the sprint, but unfortunately, crashes can always happen.”

While Ciccone had to go all-in to help reel back breakaway riders Jay Vine and Louis Vervaeke in support of Pedersen, Bernal ended up having something closer to a rest day. “We were in the break with three guys, but Lidl-Trek had five. So we treated the breakaway a bit like a peloton and let Lidl-Trek do the work,” explained INEOS team director Christian Knees.

“It was their chance with Pedersen as the favorite, and in the end they did a great job controlling the move by Vine and Vervaeke. After the intermediate sprint, there was a moment to thin things out, and we did that with Egan. Unfortunately, Magnus crashed, and he was in a good position. That’s part of racing. We’ll look for more opportunities in the six remaining stages.”