Giulio Ciccone: "This is the best victory of my career"

Unlike the whole of Trek - Segafredo, Giulio Ciccone had been until today experiencing a complicated Giro d'Italia, having seen his GC aspirations fade at Blockhaus - the first big GC challenge.

“Last year I was also in good shape, but I was unlucky in the Giro and the Vuelta. I had little luck, got the coronavirus… Then it is difficult if you have to confirm yourself. This feels like a new start to my career for me," Ciccone said in a post-race interview. After having shed tears over the finish line, the Italian got back to his winning ways with a very strong performance at the Valle d'Aosta, where he was by far the strongest climber on the day from the escapee group.

After making a crucial selection in the ascent to Verrogne earlier on, he managed to dispatch Santiago Buitrago and Hugh Carthy who were his closest competitors in the initial kilometers of the ascent to Cogne. Whilst the peloton took the climb relatively easy, in the breakaway the stage was decided in the first kilometers of the 22-kilometer long ascent.

When asked why he attacked so early, Ciccone explained: “Because that's where the steepest part was. In my head I only thought about riding off solo, and I succeeded. Because in a sprint with two or three riders you don't know what can happen."

"Anyway, I did everything I could. My legs felt really good. That's why I tried it and that was the best choice I could make," he said. Rightfully so he managed to get a gap over his rivals, and was never again seen until the finish line where he celebrated with a traditional throw of his sunglasses.

"This is the best victory of my career, because I have had two difficult years. I knew I could still do it and that I had it in me to come back like that," he said emotionally - after his first win since the 2020 Trofeo Laigueglia. "I'm so happy. I kept believing in myself and it came out today. I cannot describe how important this victory is," he concluded.