It was inevitable that Giulio Ciccone's flying sunglasses would be back at the center of discussions this morning at the start village of the second stage of the Tour of the Alps, and the race leader accepted to talk about it with serenity but also with firmness: "I was wrong and I take responsibility for the gesture I made, but don't come and tell me about damaging the image of cycling because I won't accept that. I threw the sunglasses that landed far from people and made two children happy, just like I was happy as a child when I went to races and managed to return home with a trophy that became my treasure".

And further: "There's also much to say about the safety issue. I didn't create problems for anyone and I think there would be many other aspects to work on to ensure maximum safety for us riders. Perhaps it would be worth focusing on those, rather than on my sunglasses...".