“Today I was riding for Ciccone" - Carlos Verona helps Lidl-Trek bounce back with stage 15 solo at the Giro d'Italia

Lidl-Trek have undoubtedly been the stars of the 2025 Giro d'Italia and on stage 15, Carlos Verona powered to what is a sensational sixth stage success of the Grand Tour for the team, one made even sweeter by the fact it comes just a day after general classification hopeful Giulio Ciccone was forced to abandon the race with a crash.

“I came to the Giro knowing that my role was support for Mads Pedersen and Giulio Ciccone, and I was super happy with that,” reflected the victorious 32-year-old Spaniard in his post-stage interview afterwards, admitting that he had no expectations of taking a stage win when this Giro d'Italia began. At least that was until he was forced to refocus ahead of the start of stage 15 this Sunday.

"Everything changed," Verona explains, referencing the sad departure of team leader Ciccone on stage 14. “Today I was riding with my mind and my legs, especially for Ciccone, because I know how much he worked for this race, how many sacrifices he did. When you are a helper, you need to be there to help them. When they’re not here, you need to also be there for the team,” he concludes his comments.