Ciccone’s second win of the season came on a demanding 15-kilometre climb of the Vallter 2000 and after Evenepoel had reduced the group of favourites following several accelerations.
The Trek-Segafredo rider labelled the victory as “one of the best wins of my career” and dedicated his efforts to teammate Dario Cataldo, who suffered significant injuries in a crash close to the line on Stage 1.
“It was a really fast climb from the bottom of the ascent,” Ciccone explained. “Bahrain made a good tempo and then Chaves attacked, but in my mind, I knew I just had to follow Evenepoel and Roglic.
“So I followed their wheels and then I did my best in the last 500 metres. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve lost many times, especially with Roglic – he’s won everything.
“But after a long climb, here we’re arriving at 2000 metres of altitude and everything changes. I felt good, and I did my best.”
Evenepoel’s show of strength earned the Soudal Quick-Step star third place in the mountains, but his gap to overall leader Roglic remains six seconds after the latter crossed over in second place.
It’s a battle that will continue in the coming days, but one Mikel Landa entered with 10 kilometres to go after ordering his Bahrain Victorious teammates forward in a move that reduced the peloton to 50 riders – Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) among those left behind.
Landa’s orders were the first, serious acceleration of the 165-kilometre journey to the Pyrenees, one that had earlier seen an eight-rider breakaway lead the peloton by as many as three minutes.
Simone Petilli (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) and Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) were among the escapees, and the latter even became the virtual leader before Jumbo-Visma’s steady pace slowly reduced the deficit.
A crash in the front half of the peloton did little to halt their advancements as the lower slopes of the Vallter ascent approached, though it wasn’t until the final seven kilometres that Carr was caught by the Bahrain Victorious duo of Wout Poels and Jack Haig.
Esteben Chaves, a teammate of Carr, then moved ahead with three kilometres to go, surging clear of Haig and the rest of the bunch by 30 seconds.
But another acceleration from Landa eventually cut the lead group down to four, before Evenepoel’s prolonged attacks left him in a three-way fight to the finish with Roglic and Ciccone.
Neither Roglic, nor Ciccone, could be shaken from the Belgian’s attacks to the summit, and it was the Italian who would eventually prevail in impressive fashion.
Stage 3 will see the peloton ride 180.5 kilometres from Olost to La Molina, and SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand will have all the action LIVE from 1:15am (AEDT) on Thursday, March 23
