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Follow us on GoogleOn Friday, we wrote about the Spanish riders who will be missing from the Tour de France start list. A day later, it’s Italy’s turn. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that two pure stage hunters may also be ruled out of the 2026 Tour de France.
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Just as Spanish fans had to cross out the names of Iván Roméo (Movistar, ill), Cristián Rodriguez (Astana, dropped) and Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step, dropped) from their favourites books, fans in Italy will also have to swallow a bitter pill.
The names of Giulio Ciccone and Lorenzo Fortunato had been on the provisional start list for several months, but according to cycling journalist Ciro Scognamiglio, the two climbers have decided to skip the 2026 Tour de France.
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Ciccone won the mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia for the second time
Ciccone fully focused on the 2026 World Cycling Championships
Ciccone rode the Giro d'Italia in May, winning the mountains classification for the second time in his career. He was also scheduled to ride the Tour with Lidl-Trek, but he is skipping the biggest cycling race of the year—the same race in which he won the mountains classification in 2024.
We’ll see Ciccone again in August, when the Clásica de San Sebastián and the Tour of Burgos take place, races at which he won last year. In September, he’ll head to Canada, where he’ll focus entirely on the World Cycling Championships in Montréal.
With this decision, Ciccone is following the same path as Giulio Pellizzari, who will not be competing in the Tour de France on behalf of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. While Pellizzari wasn't expected to race in July, Ciccone was lined up for the Tour. The news means that Lidl-Trek can now go all in for Juan Ayuso and Mads Pedersen.
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Fortunato will skip the Tour de France as well
Fortunato’s absence from the Tour de France is also striking, especially since he did not ride the Giro d’Italia in May. He won the mountains jersey at 2025 Giro, a feat he was also considered capable of achieving at the Tour de France. Fortunato has never competed in the Tour, and that will remain the case in 2026.
According to La Gazzetta, Fortunato will ride the Vuelta a España later this year, where XDS Astana undoubtedly sees more opportunities for success. The Kazakh team will focus on other riders in the Tour, including Dutchman Mike Teunissen.
It’s quite possible that Fortunato’s withdrawal from the Tour de France is related to his withdrawal from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The Italian was one of many riders who fell ill during the French stage race and, as a result, did not start on the final day.
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026