“When they said 20 years old, I was shocked” - Giulio Ciccone left stunned by Paul Seixas as Italian signs off Lidl-Trek career with Il Lombardia podium
Cycling
Giulio Ciccone has ended his eight-year spell with Lidl-Trek on the Il Lombardia podium, taking third in his final race for the team after trying to follow Paul Seixas on the decisive Civiglio climb.
Ciccone crossed the line 1:05 behind the 20-year-old winner and 17 seconds behind Enric Mas. It was another big result at the end of his 2026 season, coming just days after his second place at the European Championships.
The Italian admitted he had not felt particularly good during Lombardia, but was still in the fight when Seixas began to make the difference.
“Today I was not really feeling super good,” Ciccone told Cycling Pro Net. “I understood straight away that I was fighting not for the victory on Civiglio when I saw Seixas go like this. But I'm really happy and also proud because to finish like this when you are not having a good day, I think it's also something good.”
Ciccone takes his chance on Civiglio
Ciccone initially tried to go with Seixas when the Frenchman increased the pace on Civiglio. He stayed among the closest riders for a time, but soon found himself at the limit.
“Maybe I was on the limit and, like I said, I did a small mistake to try to follow him,” Ciccone explained. “Maybe it was better to pace a little bit. But I just tried. I tried to go for something big and maybe at the end it could also be a small mistake. Seixas today was on another level on the climb and he really deserved his victory.”
Mas subsequently came back to Ciccone before distancing him to secure second, leaving the Italian to take the final place on the podium.
For Ciccone, it was his last result in Lidl-Trek colours. He joined the team in 2019 and leaves after eight seasons that brought Giro d'Italia stage victories, the Tour de France mountains classification, victory at Clasica San Sebastian and a series of major one-day podiums.
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Seixas' age catches Ciccone by surprise
After racing against Seixas on Civiglio, Ciccone was given another reminder of just how young the Lombardia winner is during the podium ceremony.
“Honestly, on the podium when they said 20 years old, I was shocked,” he said. “I just remember when I was 21, I won my first stage in the Giro and it was something super, super big. Now, congrats to him. Really.”
Ciccone's third place was his second Lombardia podium in three years, having also finished third in 2024. This time it also brought his Lidl-Trek career to an end, with the Italian still fighting for a Monument victory on his final afternoon with the team.
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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