Giulio Ciccone cannot find peace and after seeing the victory slip away at yesterday's European Road Championship by just 2.8 millimeters, he is asking on social media to see with his own eyes the photo finish that awarded the title to Belgian Remco Evenepoel.
This is the message shared by the Abruzzese rider on social media just moments ago:
It's difficult to make sense of the emotions after yesterday's race.
But I want to start with something that is beyond question for me.
Remco yesterday was the strongest rider.
He raced like a Champion, he knew how to interpret and manage a complex race and delivered an extraordinary performance.
We, as Italy, tried in every way to counter him.
My respect for him is enormous and has never been in question.
Even in the final sprint I raced according to the tactical situation.
Scaroni, my teammate in the National squad, was chasing about 30 seconds back, at least according to the information I was receiving from the team car. At that moment I couldn't start attacking against my own teammate.
It was a racing decision, consistent with the role I had.
Then there's the photo finish.
The title was awarded with a difference of 0.0028 seconds, that is 2.8 thousandths of a second.
I've watched the available footage hundreds of times and, in the shots where the finish line is visible, I keep seeing a sequence that I cannot reconcile with that verdict.
This morning the commissaires, together with the federation's technical staff, explained to me how it works and the criteria used to interpret the photo finish.
So I'm not asking for another explanation.
I'm asking to see the photo finish that corresponds exactly to the actual finish line.
I would like to be able to see, unequivocally, the passage of our two wheels at the precise point where, according to the regulations, the finish is established.
Because if a European title is decided by 2.8 thousandths of a second, I believe it's legitimate to ask that this exact passage can be shown with the same precision with which the result was determined.
I'm not asking for a television broadcast to replace the photo finish.
I'm not questioning Remco's value or the extraordinary race he rode.
I'm asking for something very simple:
to see the photo finish on the actual finish line.
If that image confirms the verdict, there will be nothing more to add.
But until that correspondence is shown to me, for me it remains a question to which I have not yet received an answer.