{"id":614443,"date":"2026-06-01T00:17:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/614443\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T00:17:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:17:13","slug":"nobody-gives-you-anything-giulio-ciccone-savours-hard-earned-giro-ditalia-mountains-jersey-despite-stage-win-regret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/614443\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cNobody gives you anything\u201d – Giulio Ciccone savours hard-earned Giro d\u2019Italia mountains jersey despite stage win regret"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nSpeaking after Stage 20, Ciccone was clear that the jersey mattered. He was just as clear that it did not completely remove the frustration of missing the win he had chased. \u201cIn the end I managed to win this jersey,\u201d Ciccone said in his post-stage interview with Cycling Pro Net<\/a>. \u201cIt is a shame about the stage win that escaped me, but the only thing I can say is that I have no regrets because I really gave everything.\u201dCiccone empties himself to seal maglia azzurra<\/p>\n

Ciccone had little left by the time the Giro\u2019s final mountain stage reached Piancavallo. After his aggressive ride on Stage 19 and another tense battle for points on Stage 20, the Italian admitted he was running on empty. \u201cToday I was dead because I had no energy left, so I tried my maximum and I gave my maximum,\u201d he said. \u201cFor that reason, I can be satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n

His Giro changed shape once he moved away from the general classification battle. From that point, stage victory became the main target, with the maglia azzurra growing into the prize that eventually gave his race a clear result. \u201cAs I said yesterday, the cherry on the cake was missing with the stage victory,\u201d Ciccone explained. \u201cOf course, to be honest, that leaves a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth, because the feeling of victory is something indescribable.\u201d<\/p>\n

That bitterness is easy to understand. Ciccone repeatedly animated the race, took responsibility in the mountains and came closest on the queen stage, only for Kuss to pass him late. The following day, he still had to finish the job in the mountains classification rather than simply protect what he had.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the moment I decided not to ride for the general classification anymore, that became my main objective,\u201d he said. \u201cSo not winning a stage is definitely something that is missing. But it is compensated by arriving in Rome with the climbers\u2019 jersey, which is a prestigious jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really have to sweat for it\u201d<\/p>\n

Ciccone\u2019s connection with the Italian public has been one of the constant threads of his Giro. Even on days when the stage win did not come, his attacking style kept him at the centre of the race, and he said the roadside support had stayed with him throughout the three weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is one thing that has not been missing at this Giro, it has been the support,\u201d Ciccone said. \u201cI was really surprised again today. There was so much support on the roads, so I want to say a huge thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ciccone, the mountains jersey still carries real weight. He knows from experience that the classification is rarely won by accident. It demands repeated effort, judgement and the willingness to chase points even when the legs are already heavy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, a climbers\u2019 jersey has great value because you really have to sweat for it and nobody gives you anything,\u201d he said. \u201cSo for me it is always an important jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rome will bring the final confirmation. Ciccone may leave the Giro without the stage win he wanted most, but he will leave with another mountains jersey, another place on the podium and a race shaped by the attacks he kept launching until there was nothing left.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Speaking after Stage 20, Ciccone was clear that the jersey mattered. He was just as clear that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":614444,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,20995,112485,9046,109119,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-614443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-giro-ditalia","tag-giulio-ciccone","tag-jonas-vingegaard","tag-lidl-trek","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/614444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}