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

Giulio Ciccone, the local favourite from Abruzzo, has highlighted the significance of stage 7 in the 2026 Giro d’Italia, which features the race’s first major summit finish at the Blockhaus. Although Ciccone lost the leader’s pink jersey earlier in the race, he emphasises that this stage will be pivotal for the general classification battle. The Blockhaus climb, a category 1 ascent of 13 kilometres with a relentless average gradient of around 9%, is known for its difficulty and will likely cause substantial time gaps among the contenders. Ciccone, who has trained extensively on the Blockhaus and raced it previously in the 2022 Giro, described the climb as a “real badass” due to its continuous steep gradients and absence of any respite in the form of false flats. The approach to the summit is also challenging, with a category 2 climb to Roccaraso preceding the final ascent. This combination of terrain and length makes the stage one of the toughest early tests in the race, where riders will face sustained efforts through the Apennines before reaching the summit finish. The Lidl-Trek rider pointed out that the profile of the Blockhaus suits riders like Jonas Vingegaard, who excels on climbs requiring steady, consistent power output. Vingegaard, currently one of the leading GC contenders, is expected to use this stage to attempt to distance his rivals and potentially gain a significant advantage in the overall standings. Ciccone warned that losing time on the Blockhaus could be decisive, as once a rider cracks on this climb, it can be difficult to recover in the remaining stages. Despite Ciccone’s sixth place overall and being over six minutes behind the race leader Afonso Eulálio, he remains cautious about declaring the race decided at this point. He acknowledges that there are still many challenging climbs in the second and third weeks of the Giro where the general classification could shift dramatically. However, he stresses that the Blockhaus will set the tone for the rest of the race and represents the first major opportunity for Vingegaard and others to make a definitive statement in the battle for the pink jersey.