Ciccone slams Rubio after Giro clash: 'The move of a small-time rider'

The two riders were part of the early break on the Dolomite tappone of the Giro, which saw Ciccone move ahead of Vingegaard and into the lead in the king of the mountains classification.

Ciccone led over the first four climbs of the day, including the highest point of the Giro, the Passo Giau, but he was denied the full complement of points on the Falzarego by Rubio, who was himself smarting from an earlier incident.

The Movistar rider was chasing the overall lead in the Red Bull Kilometre classification, and he was visibly upset when GC contenders Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) and Michael Storer (Tudor) outsprinted him to the line to take the bonus seconds on offer.

Rubio could be seen gesticulating to Gee-West after the sprint, and he then made a point of following and outsprinting the Canadian’s teammate Ciccone when he set out to take the mountains points atop the Falzarego. An irate Ciccone made his displeasure known to Rubio over the top of the climb. 

“It’s about respect, and today I don’t think he showed any respect at all,” Ciccone told RAI after placing third on the stage. “I think he got angry because, I don’t know, maybe he wanted the Red Bull Kilometre, but it was a game of time bonuses and so on for the GC guys. 

“I had absolutely nothing to do with it, but he took it out on me, thinking it was my fault. Then at the mountains sprint, I made a mistake because I ‘trusted’ him, so to speak, and then let’s say he made the move of a small-time rider, I’d say.”

Ciccone confessed that his frustration with Rubio was the impetus behind his decision to force the pace on the descent rather than wait for a group that included his teammate Gee-West, who was looking to move into the top five overall.

“I didn’t want to get nervous, but let’s just say I really didn’t expect it,” Ciccone said. “But the plan was to go all out on the descent anyway because we knew it was a section where we could gain time, so I would have had to go all out anyway. But let’s say that my frustration gave me a little more determination to take a few corners a bit more recklessly.”

The Italian had a lead of a minute at the foot of the short and steep final climb to Piani di Pezzè, but he was caught and passed by eventual stage winner Sepp Kuss (Visma Lease a Bike) and his own teammate Gee-West.

“Today was a stage where whoever had the legs went for it, and I think the pace on the first climb was incredibly fast,” Ciccone said. “It split up right away, and I wasted a lot of energy because I was racing for the jersey and to earn points. But I had to ride that way, it was the only solution I had. I have to say I was also very lucky to find several riders in the breakaway who gave me a hand, so to speak, like Giulio Pellizzari, I have to thank so much, and also Alberto Bettiol on the first climb.”

Ciccone would place third on the stage, 36 seconds down on Kuss. In the king of the mountains classification, he carries a lead of 57 points over Vingegaard into stage 20. There is a maximum of 99 points up for grabs on the stage, which features twin ascents of the category 1 climb of Piancavallo. 

“It’s still open,” Ciccone said. “I hope to recover as best I can and we’ll see. I hope the race doesn’t open up too early before the first time up Piancavallo. If Jonas wins the stage tomorrow, I’d need to take points on the first Piancavallo to have a good chance.”