Giulio Ciccone wanted to be one of the great protagonists of the Lombardia, he had already said so plainly on the eve of the race, the disappointment for the European Championship lost by a whisker had already faded and had been replaced by the memory of the beautiful podium from 2024. This time there was no head-to-head with Evenepoel, while the European champion dropped back on the climb, the Abruzzese rider not only answered the call but was the only one to try to stay on the wheel of Paul Seixas. His third place at the Como finish line is not just a simple podium, it is proof that Giulio is still there and ready to fight when the race gets tough.

"We knew very well that the race would be decided on the final climb, either on the first San Fermo or on the Civiglio. I'm happy with my third place, I've shown that I'm present even at the end of the season. On the Civiglio I tried to stay on Seixas's wheel, someone might think I made a mistake, but I have no regrets, at that moment it was the right thing to do for me, it was worth trying. When he took 2 or 3 meters I thought that after the acceleration he would slow down, instead he kept going hard, I spent 3 minutes off the pace which I then paid for on San Fermo and at that point I could only try to manage myself," Ciccone explains. We had seen him quite tense this morning at the start, many questions, even some pressure, but in the end it was the road that spoke. He had already given a clear reading of the race yesterday: a very open race due to Tadej's absence, but also thanks to (or because of) a course that made the Lombardia very open until the very end.

Ciccone's third place is yet another result in a rich season for the Abruzzese rider, many placings, the blue jersey at the Giro d'Italia, only a victory was missing. "I believe that third place is the best result I could achieve, from the outside it might not have seemed so, but I wasn't having a great day. We're coming from a very long month, full of travel, races on the other side of the world, jet lag and great stress, I think I paid for all of this today. I'm happy with the result and I can say I'm concluding a good season, from the Giro d'Italia I've had consistency in all the races I've taken part in, sure, a victory was missing, but I believe I've shown I'm strong even on important stages. When I needed to be there, I was there." Giulio continues, and meanwhile he's ready to say goodbye to Lidl Trek and begin a new adventure. There's still no official announcement of the team, but the question already comes naturally: what new objective does he want to pursue? "I still don't know what role the team will give me, it will still be to be decided, but today I believe I've shown once again that the races most suited to me are one-day races and short stage races. In these 8 years at Lidl Trek I've accumulated important baggage that I'll bring to this new adventure".

If you look at the Lombardia podium and try to do some calculations, the result of the abacus test speaks of 11 years difference between Paul Seixas and Erica Mas and even 12 compared to Giulio Ciccone. It's a fact that shouldn't frighten anyone, mind you, given that the Frenchman holds the record for youngest winner in history, but it certainly makes you smile and in some way reflect. Thinking about it is inevitable, it's Ciccone himself who brings up the subject, jokingly feeling a bit like a "grandfather" of the group in front of such a young talent. Comparing the history of the Abruzzese rider, his third place and Seixas's success inevitably leads to thinking about the comparison between cycling from a handful of years ago and a new movement, increasingly precocious, increasingly ready, of which the young Frenchman is a great representative. "We're living in a cycling world where a new generation of young people who do impressive numbers is making its way, Seixas has had a super season and this is the icing on the cake. I believe this is a different cycling from the one I was used to, I've made a completely different path compared to these young guys, at twenty I was still an amateur and practically had almost never raced among professionals; I didn't want to rush things because I knew that between 27 and 28 years old I would have the opportunity to improve and that's what happened. This new generation of phenomena is a stimulus and getting on the podium with one of them demonstrates my consistency, I was there 10 years ago with a different type of cycling and I'm here now, I don't want to give up. Every year I always make many sacrifices together with the people I care about, there's always less time for ourselves, and yet we're still here" concludes Giulio who is ready to take a well-deserved vacation, but not for long, in his head there's already the padel tournament race of the A&J All Sport tournament to prepare, but that's another story….