‘A real badass climb’ – Local star Giulio Ciccone predicts major gaps in Giro d’Italia’s first major summit finish at Blockhaus

Giulio Ciccone had high hopes he’d be wearing his first-ever Giro d’Italia leader’s jersey when the race reaches his native Abruzzo region on Friday. But even if he’s no longer in pink, the Lidl-Trek racer warns that stage 7 will be one of the most important days of the entire 2026 race for the GC battle.

The reason is the stage’s finish on the category 1 Blockhaus, the Giro’s first summit finish. It’s a climb Ciccone has tackled multiple times in training and once in Italy’s biggest bike race, too, back in 2022.