
Upon returning after more than two months away from racing - his pink dreams had shattered in the rain of a May Saturday in Nova Gorica - Giulio Ciccone signed a beautiful feat in San Sebastian, collecting his second seasonal victory (the first came in the opening stage of Tour of the Alps) and the twelfth of his career.
"I didn't expect a victory to come so soon! I knew the numbers were good, I knew I had done excellent work with the team, but two months away from races are many and could have taken their toll. Today, however, my legs were really good, I accelerated uphill and had only one moment of hesitation when Del Toro and I found ourselves alone on the flat. There was still a long way to go, but at that point we could only push straight ahead. Then on the last climb, Christen came back very strong, I thought Del Toro would attack, then I saw he was dropping back and so I followed Christen and attacked on the counterattack. Until 2 kilometers from the finish, I was afraid Christen would catch up, there were no straight sections that allowed me to assess the situation... Then I understood in the last 500 meters and enjoyed this finale and the victory in one of my favorite races."