Trek-Segafredo have announced that young Italian climber Giulio Ciccone has prolonged his contract through 2021. The talented Italian was King of the Mountain and won the epic stage over the Mortirolo in the most recent Giro d’Italia. Earlier this season he also won a stage in the Tour Cycliste International du Haut Var.
Yesterday, Ciccone confirmed his great form by finishing second on La Planche des Belles Filles in the first mountain stage of the Tour de France. A second place that also brought him the first yellow jersey of his career.
Ciccone (24): “I am super excited to renew my contract with Trek-Segafredo. I am really enjoying myself in this team, that feels as one big family to me. After my Giro, there were quite some teams interested but for me it was pretty clear I wanted to stay with Trek-Segafredo, where I feel so at home.
“The team is giving me lots of opportunities to grow and learn and that’s truly amazing. I mean, look at me, I came to the Tour de France to gain some experience and to support Richie Porte in the climbing stages, and here I am, wearing the yellow. I will try to enjoy this jersey as much as I can, but my focus stays with Richie, he’s our leader and I will do my very best to help and protect him as much as possible.”
Trek-Segafredo General Manager, Luca Guercilena: “We signed Giulio because we believe in his talent. Winning a stage at the Giro d’Italia as a neo-pro (2016) put him on our radar and we followed him closely ever since. This season Giulio has already made a big step, but we are convinced he still has a great margin of improvement and I am curious to see where his limits are. He’s a real added value to our team and I am honestly very happy that he will stay with us.”
