On Monday, October 24 Giulio Ciccone underwent a minor surgical procedure to permanently resolve the issues that have affected his performance in the last few months of the 2016 season and that forced him to end his year early. On November 10, he was finally back in the saddle.

"I often felt tired and struggled to make the efforts. We spent a bit of time to understand what the problem was but eventually we found this small atrial nerve that was not operating as it should , and we intervened. After twenty days of rest, it was fantastic to take the first pedal stroke. I had the feeling of going back to doing what I love three weeks after the surgery I had to face to resolve a heart condition that has affected me in the second half of the year," the 22-year-old Bardiani CSF rider, winner of stage 10 at the Giro, told Tuttobiciweb.

Following the specialist checks, Ciccone underwent an electrophysiological examination to identify the cardiac conduction tissue that generated the trouble under stress and, ultimately, underwent  an ablative procedure. By its nature, the procedure is not particularly invasive and it has allowed the rider to fully recover in a month, just in time to start the preparation for the winter season.

"The operation seems to have gone well and I have started to train, of course gradually. These days I'm riding easiy and I will soon resume the training at full speed. Due to this problem I missed a few months of the 2016 season, but in the next camps with the team later this month and in December we will have all the time necessary to lay the important bases. We will outline the program. What is certain is that we aim for the Italian calendar and in particular the Giro. My goal will be to get in top condition. I owe so much to my family for the support they showed me once again, to the medical team who followed me and to the team that gav me the time and space needed to solve the problem without any hurry. I hope to repay all those who were close to me in this period with a beautiful season."