Videos - Giro riders mid-stage row | "A petty move, with no class"

Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek and Colombia’s Einer Rubio of Movistar Team during Stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia, which involved a row between the duo, and Lidl Trek's Derek Gee-West (Photo: Fabio Ferrari)

Giro d'Italia stage 19 ended in an impressive stage win for Sepp Kuss (Visma Lease a Bike) after 5,000m of climbing in the Dolomites on what was the queen stage on the race.

Irish rider Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) was 58th at 28:19, while compatriot Ryan Mullen (NSN Cycling Team) was 112th at 38:33.

Italian Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) went a long way to winning the climbers' classification after hoovering up points in the breakaway today.

However, he was unexpectedly beaten to the top of the penultimate climb by Einer Rubio (Movistar Team).

The Colombian seemed a little more determined than usual to land a blow on Ciccone, even though he has no chance of winning the mountains classification himself.

Earlier in the stage, Rubio had spoken to Ciccone and clearly believed they had made an agreement.

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Rubio would take the money and bonus seconds on offer at the intermediate sprint and Ciccone could take the mountains points as he tries to hold off race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in that classification.

But when Ciccone's team mate, Derek Gee -West, attacked the breakaway to claim the Red Bull 1km cash and bonus seconds, it enraged Rubio.

He challenges Gee-West on the front of the group after the sprint. Clearly feeling he'd been done over, he then went on to make sure he beat Ciccone to maximum points on the penultimate climb, Passo Falzarego.

This time it was Ciccone's turn to get enraged, with the duo exchanging words. Indeed, Ciccone got so annoyed he attacked down the climb, opening a gap of over one minute.

But then on the final climb, to the finish, he was caught and dropped by Kuss, with Ciccone and Gee having to settle for 2nd and 3rd.

After the stage, Ciccone called Rubio's move "petty", adding he had displayed a "lack of class". He said the Red Bull sprint for the seconds was a matter for the GC riders. It had nothing to do with him who went for those seconds, he claimed.

But Rubio was having none of it, saying Lidl Trek had struck an agreement with him and hadn't kept their word.

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“We spoke with Ciccone: he’d take the KOM, and I even helped pull so I could then take the Red Bull kilometre. But they played smart and took both,” Rubio said.

“They don’t keep their word. It’s cycling, but sometimes you have to be human first.”

 

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