“I always look to him for inspiration” – Giulio Ciccone reveals Marco Pantani tension with Lidl-Trek before exit
Cycling
Giulio Ciccone has revealed that his long-standing attachment to Marco Pantani became a point of discussion behind the scenes at Lidl-Trek before the Italian brought his eight-year spell with the team to an end.
Ciccone will join Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team on a three-year deal from 2027 after reaching an agreement to terminate a Lidl-Trek contract that had been due to run until 2029. His final race for the team came at Il Lombardia, where the 31-year-old signed off with third place.
Ciccone fought to keep Pantani on his bike
One detail from his Lidl-Trek years will be following him to his new team: the small Pantani sticker Ciccone has carried on his bike for several seasons.
The sticker was given to Ciccone by Luigi Veneziano, Pantani's former mechanic, before the start of a Tirreno-Adriatico.
Speaking on Velò, the Rete 8 programme hosted by Jacopo Forcella, Ciccone revealed Lidl-Trek's rules initially put its place on the bike in doubt. “I have a sticker of the Pirate on my frame, and it even became a point of discussion with the team because they didn't want stickers on the bike,” he said. “I did everything I could to keep it.”
Veneziano also gave Ciccone one of Pantani's bandanas at the same time. “I always carry it with me in my suitcase,” he added.
Pantani has remained a recurring presence throughout Ciccone's career. When the Lidl-Trek leader took the maglia rosa at the 2026 Giro d'Italia after finishing third on stage 4 in Cosenza, he spoke about the image of Pantani in pink that had stayed with him since childhood.
Last July, Ciccone travelled to Cesenatico with his wife Annabruna and Veneziano to visit Spazio Pantani, where he donated one of his own jerseys. “Marco has always been a source of inspiration for me,” Ciccone explained. “I always look to him for inspiration.”
The disagreement over the sticker did not force it from his bike. Nor will leaving Lidl-Trek. Ciccone has confirmed it will remain on his Pinarello when he begins the next chapter of his career in 2027.
Ciccone will leave Lidl-Trek after eight seasons at the end of 2026
Giro heartbreak planted the seed for Lidl-Trek exit
Ciccone's long-awaited spell in the maglia rosa lasted only one day. Stage 5 to Potenza was raced through miserable rain and cold, with Ciccone becoming isolated before spending much of the latter part of the stage trying to limit his losses. He eventually finished 7:13 behind stage winner Igor Arrieta and fell to sixth overall as Afonso Eulálio moved into pink.
Five months later, Ciccone has revealed that it was on that day that leaving Lidl-Trek first entered his thoughts.
“At the Giro d'Italia, on the day I lost the pink jersey,” he said when asked when he began thinking it might be time for a change. “That was the day I realised that perhaps the time had come to make a change.”
Ciccone did not leave the Giro empty-handed. Once the GC challenge had faded, he returned to the aggressive racing that has produced many of his biggest successes and eventually secured the mountains classification for the second time in his career.
It added another major jersey to a Lidl-Trek spell in which Ciccone also won the Tour de France mountains classification in 2023, wore yellow at the Tour and added two further Giro stage victories to the one he had taken with Bardiani.
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Guercilena departure accelerated Ciccone's decision
The team itself was changing too. In June, Lidl-Trek announced that long-time general manager Luca Guercilena would leave his role following the Tour de France. Guercilena had spent more than 16 years at the head of the Trek structure and had been in charge throughout Ciccone's entire spell with the team after his arrival from Bardiani in 2019.
For Ciccone, his departure pushed forward a decision that had already begun forming at the Giro. “The fact that Luca left the team only accelerated my decision,” he said.
Ciccone ultimately leaves while producing some of the strongest one-day performances of his career. His closing weeks in Lidl-Trek colours included second place behind Remco Evenepoel at the European Championships and another Il Lombardia podium, two years after he had also finished third in the Monument.
That form adds another layer to his switch to Pinarello Q36.5 alongside Tom Pidcock. Ciccone is not leaving after fading out of Lidl-Trek's plans, but after a season in which he again proved himself among the leading riders in the peloton on the hardest one-day terrain.
Eight years with Trek are over. The Pantani sticker that once caused discussion over whether it belonged on Ciccone's bike is not going anywhere.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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