BOLZANO (BZ) – A thorough attack, in which Giulio Pellizzari pushed with his whole body. Her shoulders swaying and the gold chain around her neck shining in the sun's rays. The action with which the climber of the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe He took off everyone's wheels and made it clear that when the road goes uphill Giulio Pellizzari he gets excited. The rider from the Marche region won the last stage with the finish in Bolzano in the way every climber dreams, raising his arms to the sky.: making a difference on the climbs and arriving alone.
“The moment I opened the gap on the climb I pushed even harder,” said Pellizzari behind the podium, “but I knew it would be on the slight slope that I could create the real advantage. As we said yesterday, we knew we had a tough stage ahead of us, where time bonuses would be important.But in my head there was only the idea of getting out of the way of everyone and arriving alone."
From Nibali to Pellizzari
Thirteen years after Vincenzo Nibali the Tour of the Alps, which in 2013 was still called Giro del Trentino, returns to have an Italian ownerAn important investiture for Giulio Pellizzari, who can now look to the Giro d'Italia with the ambition of the greats.
"We came here with the goal of training on long climbs," Pellizzari explained, this time in the press room, "and to understand what I was missing. At the beginning of Tour of the Alps I didn't have all this confidence, which instead grew day after dayToday I wanted to win for the team, they did a huge job for me. A performance like that gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the Giro, I think we can now rest a bit and think about it with more confidence.We have shown that we are a strong team and ready to play something beautiful."
You've won the first stage race of your career. How do you feel right now?
Well, finally! Let's just say they've always been my favorite races. Winning one is something fantastic, especially to do it here in the perfect race for climbersLooking at the latest winners, I can only say that I hope it's a good sign.
It was the first time you had to defend the leader's jersey. Is there anything you learned in these days?
Today, however, I had no choice, I had to bring home the result. This is the substantial difference in this Tour of the Alps I think I understand what it means to be a leader, especially when you have a great team working for you. You can't just say, "I can't do it." You have to do it, because seeing what my teammates have done for me is incredible and so you have to give back.
You climbed Montoppio for the first time from behind. Why?
It's a question of physical characteristics, let's say that I suffer a bit with short efforts and also when I take the climbs hard like we did today. However, I think it is a strong point, because when the opponents don't see me they then push hard thinking they can put me in difficulty.But that's not the case, I always come back down.
Aleotti was a great support for you today, with a really important action that then launched you…
I have to thank him very much, He has shown what kind of rider he is, but I think he is not yet at his bestI remember the 2024 Giro when he worked for Martinez, he was really strong there. Over the years it has become my faithful companion, it helps me a lot, especially in the head and today he was truly formidable.
Looking ahead to the Giro d'Italia, how close do you feel to the big names, like Vingegaard?
I hope I'm not far away, but we'll see. I think I still have to improve something to arrive in my best shape at the GiroI'm understanding a lot of things and I feel like I'm improving, so I hope I'm not that far off.
Last year you rode two Grand Tours. Did they give you something extra?
2025 has been a busy season, The Giro and Vuelta made their presence feltI was disappointed not to be competitive at the Lombardia. Once I recovered from the hard work, with forty days off the bike, I felt like I was starting again at a higher level than in other years. In my opinion, running two Grand Tours could have made a big difference., both physically and as an approach to running.
What does the lead-up to the Giro involve?
I will go to Val Senales for six days to refine my condition and do a final period of altitude training.I'll be up there with Gianni Moscon, I'm really happy to have him by my side at the Giro. I'll be back home for three days, just to change my suitcase and leave for Bulgaria.
Pellizzari leaves the press room, and we write about his feat while he takes photos and smiles at everyone who asks for an autograph or a word. Wearing his green jersey, we watch him ride away on his bike. The boy from Camerino has grown up and now the challenges that riders of his talent face await him.The first will be at the Giro, we just have to wait.
