"That's cycling": Giulio Ciccone shows maturity after losing European Championship to Evenepoel in photo finish
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Follow us on GoogleGiulio Ciccone seemed poised to win the European Cycling Championships this afternoon, but in the end, it was Remco Evenepoel who took the victory in Slovenia. The Italian watched as his Belgian rival fell behind, caught up, and ultimately beat him by a mere few millimetres, but he accepted the result.
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Title came down to millimetre-close sprint finish
Ciccone rode well in the final and seemed likely to take the title, but in the end, Evenepoel was able to catch up to him at the finish line. The Belgian took his much-sought-after European win in a photo finish.
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It came down to a photo finish. “I saw the first one, and it wasn’t really clear. Then I saw the second one, and that one was clear,” Ciccone told CyclingProNet.
Read more below the photo!
2026 European road race title came down to photo finish
Ciccone disappointed but graceful in defeat
"Yes, I'm really disappointed, but first of all, I want to say: congratulations to Remco. He's incredibly strong, and I also had a bit of luck with the situation in the race, with Scaroni behind us. So I took advantage of the situation to get on his wheel."
"I understand that it wasn't an ideal situation for him in the lead group, but that's just part of racing. So I want to congratulate him once again on his outstanding performance," says the gracious "loser" from Italy.
Ciccone on the final turn with Evenepoel at the European Cycling Championships
"I already had a plan when I first saw this turn," Ciccone said of the final turn on the course, where he took the lead. “I was thinking through how to do it in my head."
"In the last two kilometres, all I could think about was that turn. And at first, I thought about taking the lead, but then he figured out my plan and picked up the pace just before the turn.”
"But then I also realised he was taking the wrong line, so I moved all the way to the left to get a better line. My plan then was to just go all out after the turn. At that moment, I really believed in it," said Ciccone, who was overtaken at the finish line.
"That's cycling."
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On Saturday, Ciccone—who has been linked to a move to Pinarello-Q36.5—will also race the Tour of Lombardy. “I think this is one of the toughest seasons of my career. I don’t know how many times I’ve finished second or made it onto the podium. I just want to race without pressure and see what’s still possible.”
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Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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Latest Comments
- - Un poco corto en la parte técnica de la bici de McNulty, no? Colnago nero con detalles arcoíris suena brutal — queremos más fotos, per favore.pedalpowe2902-10-2026
- - Demi finally gets her stripes! Team Oranje tactics on point again — recon, lead-out, and that patient regroup. Textbook. Chapeau.sprocketspiny02-10-2026
- - Wait, does the world champ jersey apply to all disciplines or just road race? Can McNulty wear it in a TT too, or is that only if he won the TT worlds?davidm02-10-2026
- - Brilliant coverage. The early flight back to beat jet lag is elite-level thinking. Those marginal gains matter before a punchy Euros course.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Not sure the “surprised everyone” line about McNulty is fair. He’s been knocking on the door all season in one-day races and TTs. Emilia in rainbows is going to slap.patriciaw02-10-2026
- - Love seeing the rainbow bands back on Slovenian roads. Demi looks sharp in that kit. Hope she gets a full custom bike soon, not just a tiny stripe under the seatpost. Come on, give the champ a proper paint job!cadencekingm02-10-2026
- - Quick one: why can’t McNulty wear the rainbow at Euros? Is it only for world champs from Europe or something about national teams vs trade teams?lindae02-10-2026
- - That Dutch masterclass was something else. Vollering timed that second move perfectly after the first dig didn’t stick. Proper teamwork — Wiebes and the crew deserve as much credit as Demi.julien02-10-2026
- - Boonen’s line about trusting teammates is gold. World’s is chess, not crit. Belgium tried to cover every scenario and covered none. Harsh lesson, but needed before next year.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Great read, but the piece leans a bit too harsh on Wout for me. He wasn’t at leader-level form, true, yet the team didn’t set up a plan B well enough. Segaert the bright spot, agreed.julien02-10-2026
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