European Cycling Championships: Ciccone pipped by 3 millimetres. Evenepoel triumphs
After a 196-kilometre ride from Ljubljana to the finish line in Sencur, the rider from Abruzzo was pipped at the photo finish by the Belgian Evenepoel, a former world time trial champion
‘Martin lost his cap by a hair’s breadth,’ as the old saying goes. Giulio Ciccone missed out on gold at the European Cycling Championships in Slovenia by about 3 millimetres.
After 196 kilometres from Ljubljana to the finish line in Sencur, the rider from Abruzzo was pipped at the photo finish by the Belgian Evenepoel, a former world time trial champion. A silver is always a prestigious medal, but the Italian, who had launched the sprint, had seemed almost certain of victory. Instead, thanks to a final burst of speed that allowed him to overtake him, Evenepoel clinched a gold medal that had seemed all but lost.
Ciccone was naturally very disappointed, perhaps let down by an elbow that had bent backwards, which he lacked the composure to correct. “Yes, when the race slips away by a whisker, it’s hard to find any consolation,” commented the Abruzzo native. “I’ve never suffered so much over a second place. When there’s a jersey at stake, the colour of the medal matters little. I’m sorry, but I only wanted the gold.” It really is a shame because Ciccone had managed to enter the final bend in first place. “I had a plan to get ahead of Evenepoel. I tried to take the best line and go all out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.”
Another Italian rider also made it onto the podium. Behind the top two, taking the bronze, was Christian Scaroni, a 28-year-old from Brescia who finished fourth at last year’s continental championships in France. It is worth noting that Evenepoel succeeds Tadej Pogacar in the roll of honour; Pogacar was the notable absentee from this event, held in Slovenia, due to a nasty crash at the Vuelta a España.
For Evenepoel, now the strongest rider after Pogacar, this is yet another gem to add to his list of achievements. “Honestly, I felt I’d overtaken Ciccone, so I thought I’d made it, but you never know…” said the Belgian after the finish. “I feared the worst, but 100 metres from the finish line Ciccone slowed down slightly, allowing me to overtake him.” Following his disappointment at the World Championships in Montreal, the Belgian has rediscovered his form: “I’ve completed my collection of jerseys; the European one was the only one I was missing. Now I’ll focus on the Lombardia and then wrap up the season.”
