PORTRAIT
For several days, the question was: can Julian Alaphilippe keep his yellow jersey at La Planche des Belles Daughters? The answer was yes, but in fact the rider of the Deceuninck-Quick Step team lost it. His form did not betray him, but rather the tactics of his team, who decided not to ride behind the breakaway of the day, which included in his ranks a man dangerous to the general: the Italian Giulio Ciccone. And finally, the rider of the Trek-Segafredo team, beaten by Belgium's Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida) for the stage victory, managed to adorn himself with yellow for only six seconds. "Wearing the yellow jersey is the dream, I can not find the dead, I can not believe it," said the young Italian rider, only 24 years old.
Several victories already on the Giro
Winner stage since his first participation in the Tour de France, Ciccone had already achieved this feat on the Giro in 2016. Only 21 years old, he had won at Sestola, at a mountain stage, already . More discreet in the next two editions, he was one of the great actors of the last Giro, only a few weeks ago. Winner of one of the great mountain stages, which borrowed including the Mortirolo, he had also brought back to Rome the blue jersey of the ranking of the mountain, which he had crushed, with more than 150 points ahead of his dolphin. Ciccone, already brilliant among amateurs (winner of several Italian races, he had also finished 2nd of the Tour of Lombardy), so confirms among professionals.
The Tour was not planned in his program
Thursday, in addition to the Yellow Jersey, Ciccone also endorsed at the top of La Planche des Belles Daughters the White Jersey leader of the youth ranking. "It's an incredible day," said the young Italian. "Wearing the Yellow Tour Jersey is a dream for any runner, my only goal was the stage, I only thought about it, I did not do any calculations for the Yellow Jersey, I suspected that the gap In the meantime, I was especially disappointed not to win, and when I crossed the line, I first heard that I was going to be second ( overall, ed ). I knew that I was first, the satisfaction was huge, it erased the disappointment of having lost the stage.The following ... The Giro was the big goal of my season, the Tour was not part of my However, at the end of the Giro, given my shape, we decided with the team that I also come to the Tour to help Richie Porte and the team in general, to gain experience. to live the Tour from day to day, it's still relevant. "
Except that Friday, on the road between Belfort and Chalon-sur-Saone, Ciccone will wear the Yellow Jersey. "Tomorrow (Friday), I will honor the jersey and try to keep it before returning to my usual job in the service of (his Australian teammate, 21st overall) Richie Porte."