Hindley clear Vuelta leader, but Pellizzari also given freedom: "Feeling was not exceptional"

It was not yet certain that 21-year-old Pellizzari would be going to the Tour of Spain. “The Vuelta was on the schedule at the beginning of this year. Then the race was canceled after the Giro, but we insisted to the trainer that he put it back on,” the Italian told Bici.

Pellizzari explains clearly why he wanted to go to the Vuelta so badly. “Ultimately, three-week races are necessary for a rider like me to continue to grow. It would have been more difficult to go to Canada, Plouay, or Germany, where there are so many races or one-day races. So I'm happy to be here, and we'll see how it goes.”

The Italian traveled to Turin, where the Vuelta will start, ahead of time. “We did the team time trial on Wednesday morning. The team is really pinning its hopes on it. We did several tests, including with the engineers.” Pellizzari thinks that day five will be more challenging than expected. “So far, I've only done one team time trial, the Tour de l'Avenir in 2023, with Piganzoli. That was tough too, but when you look around here and see teammates who weigh 75-80 kilos... It's going to be tough to keep up!”

In preparation for the Vuelta, the Italian rode the Tour of Burgos. That went pretty well, with a fourth place in the final classification. However, according to Pellizzari himself, he was not in top form. “Actually, the feeling in Burgos wasn't exceptional. Fortunately, I stayed with the leaders in the queen stage, and that gave my morale a boost. But I repeat: the feeling wasn't optimal. I had to suffer more than expected. Burgos was my chance to push myself. It's a shame I missed the podium in the last stage.”

There, he had to bow to the overall winner, Isaac Del Toro. The Mexican is a fellow member of his generation and also a good friend. Pellizzari looks up to the UAE Team Emirates rider - XRG. “We are the same age, but he is ahead of me,” the Italian admits to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It motivates me: seeing him at this level gives me morale and the confidence that I can catch up with him soon.”

But the Italian climber will still have to perform in this Vuelta and, as the team has already announced, that will not be for his own classification. "Jai Hindley is riding for the general classification. The others and I are focusing on the stages. The team is pushing me hard to focus on the stages because it's the second Grand Tour of the year. I'm young, so it's better not to overdo it. The second time trial is definitely a goal: I'm going to do well there, also with an eye to the future," Pellizzari looks ahead.

Stage victory or not, the top talent will at least be racing against the big stars of current cycling, such as Jonas Vingegaard, Juan Ayuso, and João Almeida. And that offers opportunities. “The fact that I'm not competing for the GC makes something possible. I can try to win by breaking away or staying with the best, a bit like this year in the Giro, when I finished 18th... I like this situation. I feel like I'm back in last year's Giro, when I had the freedom to do what I wanted. And let's hope we win a stage.”

The competition for the young climber will become a lot tougher next year: Remco Evenepoel will be making the switch to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Pellizzari welcomes him with open arms. “It's an added value, and it will boost everyone's level. As far as I'm concerned, I feel the team's confidence. That's crucial. There are so many races, there's room for everyone. Remember what I said last year? That I came to Red Bull to be a domestique.”

With the arrival of the two-time Olympic champion, that will still be the case. But with his sixth place in the Giro d'Italia, Pellizzari proved that there is much more to him. “I haven't changed my mind, but look at the Giro: I showed that they can trust me, and now they do.”