'It’s a dream for me’: Giulio Ciccone looks to 2020 with Vincenzo Nibali as his team-mate

Giulio Ciccone says riding with Vincenzo Nibali as a team-mate “is a dream” as the Italian Grand Tour winner joins Trek-Segafredo.

Ciccone had a phenomenal 2019 season with Trek, winning a stage of the Giro d’Italia and wearing the yellow jersey at the Tour.

The 24-year-old is facing a new adventure next year, as he will race alongside Grand Tour superstar Nibali, who Ciccone recalls watching on TV as a youngster.

Nibali is now making the switch to Trek-Segafredo, where he will fight for three-week victory alongside Richie Porte.

Speaking at the Rouleur Classic show in London, as his Trek-Segafredo team unveiled their new kit for 2020, Ciccone told Cycling Weekly: “Next year we have Vincenzo, so we need to choose the programme because we need to know whether it's better to do the Giro, Tour, or Vuelta.

“I think Vincenzo is still competitive and can take the win.

“I always saw him on TV and now he is my my team-mate. For me it's a dream, so I will do my best for him. He was one of the best riders that I always watched on TV.”

Ciccone is one of the emerging hopes of Italian cycling, having now won two stages of the Giro and leading the Tour de France for two days this year after finishing second on La Planche des Belles Filles.

He will now be joined by one of Italy’s biggest stars, as Nibali makes the move to US team Trek after three years with Bahrain-Merida.

Nibali, 35, has already won all three Grand Tours and still looks competitive over three weeks, having finished second in the 2019 Giro d’Italia.

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For Ciccone, the next few seasons are a blank slate.

When asked what he hoped for in the coming years, the Abruzzese rider said: “Honestly it's difficult to say because in my head, I want to go for GC, but I think is a little bit early now, so I can try to take a lot of experience with Nibali and other leaders, and maybe I can try to take one stage.

“[In the Tour de France] I missed the stage so maybe in the future I can try again, but I took the yellow jersey and I think that the yellow jerseys is not the goal but it's great, so I'm very happy about this.

“I had a very good year for me and also for the team.”