Pretty positive week for Giulio Ciccone to the Tour of the Dauphiné 2024. After a very complicated start to the season due to an injury, the climber from Abruzzo actually began his year with the transalpine race, where he highlighted himself with some attacks and with five stage placings in the top-10, concluding the race eighth place in the general classification. The runner of Lidl Trek he also tried to move on the final climb of the last stage, attacking about seven kilometers from the finish after the work of his teammate Mads Pedersenbut the other men in the rankings left him no space and in the end the 29-year-old crossed the finish line of Plateau des Glières in seventh place, in the wake of Primoz Roglic (Bora-hansgrohe).
How close were you to winning today (yesterday, ed.) with your attack?
Not very close, but we had done a great job with the team, so I had to try, right? I had to try to see what happened in the finale. In the end I think we had a good stage, a good week. The result wasn’t the best, but we can be really happy with the form and performance we put in.
How did the communication go? Did the sporting director call Mads up front, or did he want to do it or was it you who called him?
No, he did it all by himself (laughs, ed.). I mean, he’s a really good leader and I don’t need to say anything, he already knows the situation. So he was there, he did everything by himself and I think it was also for him that I tried on the last climb, out of respect also for the excellent job he did.
You’ve been trying to attack for the last two days. What you’re missing?
I feel really good. It’s the first real race I’ve done in a long time, but, like I said, the main focus is the Tour in July and the form is already good and improving, so I think it’s going to be a really good month July.
You were closest to Roglic: did you have the feeling that he was collapsing or did he have everything under control?
No, I think he suffered a bit, but he is a great champion and knows how to manage, so he did everything perfectly in the final.
