Giulio Ciccone and the season of ‘almost’

Ahead of him lie the Tre Valli Varesine and the Giro di Lombardia. Then perhaps another day with his race number on his back in Veneto to truly bring the season to a close. Two guaranteed days, plus perhaps one more, to ensure that 2026 does not end up being the season of ‘almost’. It would be a shame. Because in 2026, Giulio Ciccone has been in fine form; he has cycled superbly, has often been in the thick of the action, and would have deserved to smile more often. It could have been one of the best seasons of his career. For now, it is the ‘almost’ best season of his career.

Finishing second at the 2026 European Cycling Championships, just two millimetres behind Remco Evenepoel, perfectly sums up the Abruzzo-born rider’s 2026 season. A season in which he won the King of the Mountains jersey at the Giro d’Italia, had the best World Championships of his career and came close to major victories. Yet all of them slipped away. He recorded nine top-three finishes, four of them second-place, yet failed to secure a single victory.

And yet he’d done absolutely brilliantly at the European Championships; he’d even managed to pull off the perfect finish. Almost perfect. Remco Evenpoel caught up and, with a burst of speed, overtook him.

The same finishing order as in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. In Canada, however, the rider from Abruzzo had not really managed to challenge the Belgian for victory at the end of a spirited and determined race.

Two days later, at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, he had put in an excellent performance, only to run out of the energy needed to hold off the late surge from Paul Seixas and Isaac Del Toro.

The runner who, for years, had put in excellent performances whilst reaping little or no reward – giving the impression that he was an athlete capable of competing with the very best – has been doing just that since 2023. However, he has subsequently been let down by impatience and excessive vigour at crucial moments. These shortcomings have denied him the joy of victory, all too often relegating him to the role of a close spectator to others’ successes.

And yet one gets the feeling that he has never been so close to finally breaking through that ‘almost’ barrier. Because Giulio Ciccone is a runner of yesteryear – one of those who improve with age and experience, one of those who need to come to terms with themselves in order to perform at their best. And after all these placings, these missed opportunities, something has changed in his gaze too. It’s never too late.