"I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve finished second" - Photo-finish deprives Giulio Ciccone of career-changing win
Cycling
Giulio Ciccone has been recently rumoured to be departing Lidl-Trek, and this Sunday afternoon he has once again showed why he is one of the most sought out riders in the market. The Italian came close to beating Remco Evenepoel at the European Championships, but once again just missed out on a major win.
Ciccone began the race as the second favourite behind the Belgian. With most big names skipping the race in favour of the Italian autumn classics, it provided the Lidl-Trek rider to have an unexpectedly prominent role in the race.
Whilst Italy could not enjoy the same depth as in the World Championships, they still had two candidates to win: Ciccone and Christian Scaroni. At the end of the day both would finish second and third to Remco Evenepoel.
After Belgium controlled the race, Evenepoel attacked on the penultimate ascent to Mazjanca. The explosive attack was only matched by a response from Ciccone, but a crash threw Evenepoel's race into disarray. In traditional fashion, after a quick comeback, the Olympic Champion attacked once again and Ciccone was quick to respond.
With Scaroni then attacking behind on the final lap, it provided Ciccone with a plausible reason to avoid collaborating in the final flat kilometers - just as happened recently at the GP de Québec, with Quinn Simmons in the place of Scaroni.
"I was in a lucky position because, with Scaroni alone behind us, I could play it a bit strategically and stay in the slipstream longer," Ciccone said in a post-race interview with CyclingPro.net. "I realize that wasn’t ideal for him, but that’s just how racing goes. Congratulations again to him on a great performance.”
Remco Evenepoel outsprinted Giulio Ciccone in a photo-finish at the European Championships
Ciccone outsprinted by Evenepoel on photo-finish
Ciccone put on a stellar ride to match Evenepoel's every move, and to put him on the ropes in the final sprint. An early move on the inside in the final corner saw Ciccone take the lead, in what seemed to be the winning move.
“When I first saw the final corner, I realized how I needed to tackle it. Initially, I wanted to enter it in the lead, but Remco figured out my plan and accelerated," he explained. "He took a bad line coming out of the turn, so I went up the inside and launched my sprint. I went full gas. I really believed I could do it, but that’s cycling…”
Ciccone appeared to do every right move on the day, but it was not enough to beat the leader of the Belgian team. The photo-finish decided the race, and Ciccone had to wait to learn of who the victor was.
“The first photo finish wasn’t very clear, then I saw the second one… I’m truly disappointed. But first of all, I want to congratulate Remco. He rode an incredible race".
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Great year for Ciccone, but without the victories
In a year where Ciccone has decided to not contest for the overall classification in Grand Tours, the Lidl-Trek rider achieved plenty good results throughout the year with extra focus on the one-day races.
He won the KOM classification at the Giro d'Italia, but was unable to win a stage - finishing third on three occasions, and regularly being chased by Visma. At the Vuelta a Burgos he finished second on two consecutive occasions; whilst he was then also second to Evenepoel at the GP de Québec. In literal terms, the 31-year old continues to perform at his best, but this year he hasn't been able to extend his 13-victory tally.
"I have to say, in terms of placings, I think this has been one of the toughest years. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve finished second," he admitted.
But the season is not over, with Ciccone bound to return to competition this Tuesday at Tre Valli Varesine, and likely to be one of the big favourites to win next weekend's Il Lombardia. "Now I want to tackle the final races without pressure and just enjoy them a bit. We’ll see what happens," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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