Ciccone might have the legs to win La Vuelta, but De Jongh warns: "He can be a real threat in another role too"

Ask an average Vuelta rider what legs they would prefer to have for the next three weeks, and many of them will rejoice at the pair that Ciccone has. The climber has made giant leaps forward in recent years, coinciding with the development of Lidl-Trek and the millions that have been pumped into the team. Cicco had always won his races, including stages in the Giro. But when he suddenly beat Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel in Catalonia in 2023 and stayed ahead of the very best in the Dauphiné, we saw the best Ciccone ever.

In the Tour de France, he awarded himself the mountain jersey for his excellent form in 2023, with the ambition of returning in 2024 for a place in the Giro d'Italia. It was the first time Ciccone had really gone for a top ten finish, but a buttock injury brought him down in the Tour. He just missed out on the top ten and finished eleventh, which at the same time gave him a new boost to try again in the 2025 Giro. Ciccone won the Tour of the Alps in the run-up to the Giro, rode his heart out for two weeks, and could even dream of a podium or even overall victory...

Just as the third week of mountains was approaching and Ciccone seemed no less capable than the men who would ultimately fight for the pink jersey, the Italian fell on a cobbled road on day 14. He suffered a thigh injury and had to withdraw, according to De Jongh, which hit him hard. “The team and Cicco were doing really well, and it looked like he was finally going to achieve his big goal. The fact that he was struck was very tough. The injury was also very nasty, so when you can't ride for a while and you have all the time in the world to think about it, that's difficult.”

Ciccone bounced back, just like he did after his buttock injury in 2024, his Vuelta crash last year, multiple coronavirus infections in recent years, and other setbacks. He won the Clásica San Sebastián in August and a stage in the Tour of Burgos. However, a Vuelta classification will not be happening. ‘Giulio has already had a few serious mental setbacks when he went for a classification. With the World Championships on the horizon, he just doesn't want to put too much emphasis on the GC now. He's not going to throw himself around for three weeks, just to have something left for what comes next.’

The fact that he came back so strong after his Giro crash is typical of the Ciccone of today. A rider who finished on the podium in the last editions of the Tour of Lombardy and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, who climbs with the best in good form, and, according to De Jongh, has eased up a bit. “A high-altitude training camp in Andorra did him a world of good. After that, he had the morale and confidence to go for the win in San Sebastián. Giulio has made a really strong comeback. He is calmer and has much more confidence in himself. He doesn't worry so much about minor details anymore.”

And that includes the Vuelta GC. Ciccone wants to play his game, attack when he can, and if necessary, he can even win from the group of favorites. "If you look at the course realistically, he could easily take the leader's jersey in the first week, and of course, you're not going to give that away. We'll see when he starts losing time; as a team, we haven't designated any stages for that yet. It's still too early. Day 2 is an excellent opportunity for Ciccone. And because the GC isn't really a main goal, he can also pick his days.

When we ask De Jongh about his favorite Vuelta stage, he points to stage 13, which finishes on the legendary Angliru. De Jongh was there last in 2017 and won with Alberto Contador, who retired as a professional cyclist that day. Will this be Ciccone's moment? “It's a fantastic finish. It would be a great moment for Ciccone to save his energy on day twelve and then strike on the Angliru. Because he can also beat the GC riders.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])