Giulio Ciccone confirmed his excellent form by fighting to the last centimeter in the second stage of the Vuelta alongside Jonas Vingegaard . The Abruzzo native had to settle for second place, but he showed he can compete with the best: "I started with a gear that was too hard, and in the last 50 meters I lost a bit," Ciccone said after the stage. "It's a shame because I was aiming for the red jersey and my legs are good, but that's precisely why I'll try again."

Ciccone then commented on the moment of the crash involving Jonas Vingegaard himself. There, the group slowed to allow everyone to rejoin: "It was a wet stretch of road where it was really difficult to stay upright. You have to be fair; you can't win if your opponent has fallen," Ciccone commented, very sportingly.