Giulio is right ciccone to say that the conquest of the polka dot shirt at Tour The moment just concluded was the highest point of his career so far. Often in cycling, we are used to only seeing who wins, we don't go looking into the details of the race unless we are truly passionate, but in this case it's a little different because that shirt is a symbol, deeply loved by the French publicSo much so that the term "polka dot sweater" has now entered common parlance, regardless of the language.
The Abruzzese, commendable in his pursuit which lasted all three weeks and matured almost in extremis, achieved the 13th victory for an Italian cyclist in this special classification, entering an exclusive club which contains champions such as Bartali, Coppi, Nencini and Claudio Chiappucci, the last winner before him. The Lombard had succeeded in the feat twice in a row, in 1991 and 1992, the year in which he also doubled the climbers' classification at the Giro d'Italia.And the popular Diablo was able to experience firsthand how different the emotional impact of the red-ball jersey is compared to the corresponding symbol of the Giro.
«In France they go crazy for this shirt – Chiappucci recalls – but you don't just see it on the roadsides of the Tour, with many fans wearing it for the occasion. It's something you notice all year round, on randonnées, on granfondos, even just out and about. You can see that there is a passion, a particular attachment to this which is rightly considered a symbol."
What value does it have in concrete terms?
It always depends on who wins, but just go and look at the roll of honor to realize that there are all big names, those who conquer it never do it by chanceOften, those who fight for the general classification win it, although that wasn't the case this year, at least in the final outcome.
Why is there this great passion, this particular attention?
Because the French love to attack, they love courage, and to emerge on a climb you need to have a lot of it. It is no coincidence that on both occasions in which I won the jersey I also won the combativeness awardPeople get excited, I remember that when I passed by there was a frenzied cheering for me even though I wasn't French, precisely because that shirt means something.
As you pointed out, the jersey often goes to the rider fighting for the overall. It's no coincidence that, before Ciccone, in the previous three years it was awarded to the Tour winner. However, Ciccone was out of the running for the overall. Was he the favorite?
Not absolutely, but it's true that if you're not in the standings you have more freedom, otherwise they won't let you go in the breakaway and you won't score points. This year vingegaard e pogacar they didn't care about the ranking because the race was going in a certain way, but it's no different than usual, In the big stage races there are those who race for the general classification, those who aim for the stages and those who race for other goals, as Giulio did.
What does it take to win the jersey?
I speak from personal experience. I remember that you always had to be focused, and you had to be there for every mountain stage with your head even before your legs. It takes a lot of personal motivation, and the support of the crowd is very important to support you. I was always fighting to stay ahead, back then the stages were a bit different from today because the first part was quite easy, now they throw in the climbs right at the start… You have to always be on top of things, Ciccone was very good at that. Then there's another factor we haven't considered so far...
What?
The jersey is a motivation to get on the podium. Being there, on the Champs Elysées, being called is a great satisfaction. It's an exceptional world stage, unique in the cycling world, and climbing there to wear that symbol has great meaning.
Many have emphasized how Ciccone's victory has given meaning to the limited Italian expedition to the Tour...
Certainly the success of the Abruzzese has allowed him to leave a mark, but It certainly cannot erase extremely negative data, such as the lack of stage victories that has continued over the years or the record established in terms of participation numbers, with only 7 riders. Without forgetting that we don't have a man for stage races. It's a real puzzle, not easy to solve. It takes time, opportunity, and a bit of luck. The young people are there, but we're losing many along the way. It's not like we can change the entire system, but we need to think about it.
