Giulio Ciccone can't wait to take the stage at the tuttoBICI Oscar Night. The Abruzzo native of Lidl Trek will receive the Molteni Foundation Grand Prix for Professionals tomorrow evening at the Principe di Savoia Hotel in Milan, at the end of a season that has brought him great satisfaction and a new certainty: instead of focusing on the general classification of grand tours, it's better to aim for one-day races where luck plays less of a role and his class can emerge more clearly.

Ciccone succeeds his teammate Jonathan Milan in the honor roll, who finished 5th in a ranking that saw Christian Scaroni (Xds Astana) climbing positions to reach 2nd place and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) returning to the podium in 3rd place. Completing the top 5 is Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe, a true hope of Italian cycling for grand tours, whom Cicco himself dubs the "new Nibali" that we've been waiting for.

Happy about your first Oscar?

"Very much so. I had never managed to win in the minor categories, earning it for the first time as a professional is the ultimate. I can't wait for tomorrow, everyone has spoken highly of it, and I expect a beautiful and elegant evening."

Being awarded as the best rider in Italy means it was a good season...

"To finish high in the world ranking, it's not just about victories, you need to accumulate points all year round. Consistency is key. I can say I'm satisfied with my 2025. I reached peak condition during the Liège-Bastogne-Liège period, I was strong in San Sebastian and Burgos as well. The most difficult moment was certainly when I crashed and had to abandon the Giro d'Italia just a few days before the end."

You'll be honored by the Molteni Foundation that supports former athletes in difficulty, how important is solidarity to you?

"Using one's public image to do good is a privilege. Helping others is a value taught to me by my family. Each of us can do good in our own small way and contribute to the happiness of others."

Holidays are over, are you ready to get back to work?

"Yes, after recharging my batteries, I started training again in early November. With my wife Annabruna, Fausto Masnada, and his partner Federica, we enjoyed ourselves in Qatar and Oman. Before that, I had spent a few days in New York. The seasons are becoming increasingly intense, and I felt the need to disconnect before the first team retreat in December in Spain."

What goals have you set for 2026?

"We haven't drawn up the program yet, but the main focus will be to obtain the maximum number of possible victories. The idea is to focus less on the general classification of grand tours and more on individual days. I've tried many times to manage the GC, but bad luck often got in the way. I've become convinced that it's no longer worth throwing away an excellent condition for such a complicated and uncertain goal."

How is Italian cycling doing?

"Good. We're going through an era of phenomena. With Pogacar, it's difficult to win the monument classics and other races, but he exists as a rival for all nations. This year I finished second at Liège. If he hadn't been at the start, we could have said that Italy had won a Monument, and the overall judgment of our movement would have been different. Tadej is a nice 'problem' for everyone. In the three-week races, we currently lack an important name, but Giulio Pellizzari in his first year in the World Tour has shown he can aim for the classification in grand tours."

To learn all the details and the complete ranking of the Molteni Foundation Grand Prix CLICK HERE

To learn more about the Ambrogio Molteni Foundation CLICK HERE

PROFESSIONAL TUTTOBICI OSCAR HONOR ROLL

1996 Michele Bartoli
1997 Michele Bartoli
1998 Michele Bartoli
1999 Davide Rebellin
2000 Francesco Casagrande
2001 Davide Rebellin
2002 Paolo Bettini
2003 Paolo Bettini
2004 Damiano Cunego
2005 Danilo Di Luca
2006 Alessandro Ballan
2007 Davide Rebellin
2008 Davide Rebellin
2009 Damiano Cunego
2010 Vincenzo Nibali
2011 Michele Scarponi
2012 Vincenzo Nibali
2013 Vincenzo Nibali
2014 Vincenzo Nibali
2015 Fabio Aru
2016 Diego Ulissi
2017 Vincenzo Nibali
2018 Elia Viviani
2019 Elia Viviani
2020 Diego Ulissi
2021 Sonny Colbrelli
2022 Matteo Trentin
2023 Filippo Ganna
2024 Jonathan Milan
2025 GIULIO CICCONE