Giulio Ciccone undergoes surgery, putting his season start on standby

Giulio Ciccone has had a setback in his preparations for the 2024 season after being forced to undergo surgery on Monday, February 5th.

As announced by the Italian's Lidl-Trek team, a severe inflammation had been causing Ciccone trouble, with surgery to remove the perineal cyst seen as the best option for the health of the rider moving forward.

Due to the surgery, doctors have advised Ciccone to four weeks without any activity on the bike, throwing all the plans for the 2023, Tour de France King of the Mountains winner's season start to be thrown out of the window.

"Ciccone, therefore, will not take part in the altitude training camp on Teide as planned and, considering the length of the stop, his season debut (initially planned for Tirreno-Adriatico) and further race schedule for spring is on standby," explains the Lidl-Trek statement. "Further updates will be provided in the coming weeks."