Tour de France: Giulio Ciccone wins the polka-dot jersey. Tadej Pogacar takes stage 20.

Tour de France: Giulio Ciccone wins the polka-dot jersey. Tadej Pogacar takes stage 20.

At a time when Italian cycling, at least men’s cycling, is in serious crisis of victories in both the classics and stage races, comes a prestigious success at the Tour de France. Giulio Ciccone, during the twentieth stage of the Grande Boucle, the 133.5-kilometer Belfort-Le Markstein Fellering, by passing over the first four of today’s six Grands Prix de la Montagne, mathematically won the polka-dot jersey of the best climber, the most popular of the world’s most prestigious stage race, even more than the yellow jersey. The 28-year-old from Abruzzo brings this jersey back to Italy after 31 years.

The Grand Prix de la Montagne classification originated in the Tour de France in 1933, while the polka-dot jersey distinguishing the leader was introduced in 1975. Seven, before Ciccone, were the top Italian climbers in the Grande Boucle: Gino Bartali in 1938 and 1948, Fausto Coppi in 1949 and 1952, Gastone Nencini in 1957, Imerio Massignan in 1960 and 1961, Giancarlo Bellini in 1976, Giovanni Battaglin in 1979 and Claudio Chiappucci in 1991 and 1992.

Ciccone, born in Chieti on Dec. 20, 1994, has won three stages of the Giro d’Italia in his career, among others, in 2016 in Sesola, in 2019 in Ponte di Legno and in 2022 in Cogne, a Giro dell’Appennino in 2018, a Trofeo Laigueglia in 2020, and also won the climbers’ classification at the Giro in 2019 and in that same year he wore the yellow jersey for two days at the Tour at the end of stages six and seven.