At the start of the third stage in Bulgaria, Giulio Ciccone confirms he is one of the most anticipated riders in the Giro d'Italia. On the second day of racing, the Abruzzo-based rider finished in third place, behind winner Silva and German Florian Stork, at the end of a nervous stage made even more complicated by extremely slippery road conditions.

For the Lidl-Trek leader, yesterday's result is an important one, especially with an eye on the general classification. Ciccone is indeed aiming for a podium finish at the Giro and wants to play his cards to the fullest against extremely high-level competition. The great favorite remains Jonas Vingegaard, who has already shown strong form in the early stages of the race.

At the end of the stage, Ciccone described the finale this way: «Let's say the finale was really strange, we stopped, then it wasn't clear when we would restart. And then this super explosive climb, we were all going all out on a short effort. But yes, I'd say that in the end Jonas (Vingegaard ed.) has already made it clear that he wants to do well. But still, too bad about the finale, it was a rough day».

The Abruzzo native commented on the crash that occurred during the stage, where many riders hit the ground, suffering scrapes and lacerations. «Yes, the roads were dirty, there was dirt and then obviously stress also played its part. You know the first days are like that. Fortunately I was on the opposite side from where the crash happened, but I hope everyone is okay because it was really a bad crash».

Despite the difficulties, Ciccone comes out of the second stage with encouraging signs. The condition seems to be there and a Giro podium remains a concrete objective. Consistency will be needed, resilience in the mountains of the final week, and the ability to limit losses against a champion like Vingegaard, but the Abruzzo rider has already shown he can be among the protagonists of the Giro d'Italia.