Trek - Segafredo had high ambitions into Liége-Bastogne-Liège but they couldn't achieve what they came for. They were active and on the attack, but had to settle only with one rider in the Top10 as Matias Skjelmose could only ride to ninth in the end.
"Hard to say, but we did a strong effort. I think both me and Cicco had the legs to finish the race with a better result," the Dane said in a post-race interview. "That make us disappointed. That’s cycling, but we'll come back to prove that we’re better than 9th and 13th". Ciccone was one of the closest chasers to Pidcock when he first attacked in the Côte de la Redoute, and was later joined by Mattias Skjelmose who was fourth on the road at the time.
The duo caught up to Tom Pidcock, but despite the presence of both riders they couldn't hold the advance of the chasing group. They were then caught in a battle for the podium that, despite favouring the teams with riders, saw none of the Trek riders successfully move clear. They had to fight for a result in a sprint to the line on the first group, but the fatigue was felt and they arrived at the finish ninth and 13th respectively.
“We played our cards well," Ciccone said after the finish. "Together with Mattias we went as far as possible. The moment they caught us it became more about tactics and control. I'm happy with the effort we made, with my legs and with my condition, but certainly not with the final result," the Italian concluded, as he now gears up towards the Giro d'Italia.
Did we deserve better, @skjelmose_ ? 🎙️ "Hard to say, but we did a strong effort. I think both me and Cicco had the legs to finish the race with a better result. That make us disappointed. That’s cycling, but we'll come back to prove that we’re better than 9th and 13th" #LBL
