“We have the ambition to win, not to ride for 5th or 6th place" - Giulio Ciccone 'better than ever' ahead of 2025 Giro d'Italia
CyclingTuesday, 06 May 2025 at 14:30
Ahead of the 2025 Giro d'Italia, teams across the peloton are full of hope and ambition. With Lidl-Trek however, that ambition is certainly well placed as they back the inform duo of Mads Pedersen and Giulio Ciccone for stage wins and the general classification respectively.
Especially with Ciccone, who arrives at his home Grand Tour fresh off the back of a stage win and 4th overall at the recent Tour of the Alps, and a best ever Monument finish of 2nd at Liege-Bastogne-Liege in late April. “He’s better than ever,” Lidl-Trek team manager Luca Guercilena tells IDL Pro Cycling with confidence. “We have the ambition to win, not to ride for fifth or sixth place. That makes no sense. If he stays as strong and competitive as he is now and keeps improving, he will have our full support in that goal.”
A three time Giro d'Italia stage winner and a King of the Mountains winner at the Giro back in 2019, Ciccone is a proven force at the Corsa Rosa. With the aforementioned successes in the Alps and in Liege, plus having been best of the rest behind Tadej Pogacar at the UAE Tour earlier this year, can Ciccone improve on his best ever Grand Tour GC finish of 11th at the Tour de France in 2024?
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- These roadies can't hack it on the Trail 😁 #getwellsoon 👍
leedorney25-05-2025 - Primoz! very bad luck... I hope the rest-day will be enough for him to recover from the many crashes (3 in race and 1 doing the TT reco).
maria2024202425-05-2025 - noooo, no more. No one expect one day race. Lately, he doesn't even race 1 week tours. It's a fact. I don't understand why his fans get so upset about the description of facts.maria2024202425-05-2025
- Let's hope that's not the case. If he retires early, then it may be an era of infighting within UAE.
KerisVroom25-05-2025 - I was a bit worried that he kept following the attacks that he might crack later like how Tadej cracked when he impulsively followed the relaying attacks from Jonas and Primoz in TdF. Luckily, things calmed down later.KerisVroom25-05-2025
- Senna? Fortunately, the vast majority of cyclists and racers are all alive and well, even the most adventurous. There's no need to come out and defend Jonas (and thus indirectly diminish the others) because no one attacks him. I'm simply describing his behavior and describing how those who are afraid of racing usually finish the career. That's all.maria2024202425-05-2025
- If he is going to the Tour, then he should abandon, get some rest, do some altitude training and maybe race the Dauphine before the Tour. Racing is always the best training but the last week of this Giro is going to be hell, no need to take your body down a peg or two when you need some rest already.awp25-05-2025
- Isaac del Toro is looking more and more like a potential Giro champion as this race goes on. You can see his confidence growing day by day, and he looked very strong and alert during today's stage, which I'm sure that Juan Ayuso is not enjoying it at all.
santiagobenites25-05-2025 - Hahaha, it's okay for fans to expect, but the athlete doesn't need to comply with expectation. It's good that Vingo stands his ground. Otherwise, he'll be crushed under expectation like Wout did earlier in the spring. I kind of enjoy current generation of cyclists because they know what is important outside of cycling. That keep them grounded, unlike the previous generation which wasn't too unfriendly with each other off the bike.KerisVroom25-05-2025
- Yeah, people, full of expectations, but what are THEY providing? And do THEY live up to others’? Seems part of modern cowardice, if you can’t take out your frustrations in your own life on those you consider responsible, start hitting on someone completely innocent.Mistermaumau25-05-2025