Ciccone out-lasts UAE duo to win San Sebastian solo
Giulio Ciccone has returned to racing with a bang almost three months after withdrawing from the Giro d'Italia following a heavy crash, soloing to a brilliant victory at the WorldTour one-day Clasica San Sebastian.
The Italian had followed a move by Giro runner-up Isaac Del Toro on the Erlaitz climb 43 km from the finish. The pair held off an elite chase group containing Primož Roglič, Luke Plapp, Christian Scaroni, Maxim Van Gils and 2021 winner Neilson Powless among others, until the final climb of the Murgil Tontorra where Del Toro began to fade, leaving the way clear for teammate Jan Christen to attack out of the group now just 10 seconds back.
Before Christen could make contact, Ciccone pushed on and was able to keep the Swiss powerhouse at bay on the descent and run back into town for the biggest one-day victory of the Italian's career. Christen held on to take second, and Maxim Van Gils won the skirmish for third from the remains of the group.
[race_result id=18 stage_id=0 count=5 gc=0 year=2025]
