Giulio Ciccone can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Two months ago he underwent surgery to remove a perineal cyst and, fortunately, his recovery is progressing smoothly. The cyclist, capable of winning the polka dot jersey for best climber at the last Tour de France, received the OK from the doctors to resume cycling training a month after the operation and now, after another four weeks, the results are reassuring. The 29-year-old has fully regained his position in the saddle and from a performance point of view he is successfully tackling the workloads necessary to be in the right condition for competitions.
The Lidl-Trek standard bearer will return to the race at the Tour de Romandie, short stage race that will take place on Swiss roads from 23 to 28 April. It will be the first step in view of the most important events of his summer, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. After the Romandie and before the two Grand Tours, other races will be added to the calendar, yet to be defined. Giulio Ciccone expressed his full satisfaction through the team channels: “I feel reborn and now I can’t wait to get back to racing. The weeks without the bike were very, very difficult. I tried not to think about the time I was wasting, but it wasn’t easy. When I started riding again, it was a fantastic feeling. Of course it was hard, because the intensity of the training was gradual but always constant, but it was like relighting a fuse. I felt the fire inside me again“.
The 29-year-old continued: “Now I can finally think about competing again and setting new goals. I missed important months, but there is still time and way to enjoy a successful 2024. Even though the desire to run is very strong, I trust my team and my coach when they tell me to be patient. The Tour de Romandie will be the return, and if difficult days come, I know I will have to accept them calmly; I’m still in a growing process“.
