Troubled Red Bull needed "best metrics of my life over 90 minutes" to save Roglic's Giro

As mentioned, Roglic got off to a good start in this Tour of Italy, the race he won in 2023. He finished second in the time trial on day 2 in Albania, immediately taking a nice lead over many of his competitors. Roglic even wore the pink jersey for two days, but everything went wrong in the stage to Siena. He crashed on the first section, had to change bikes due to a flat tire, and had no teammate to help him get going again—the loss at the finish line was 2.22 minutes.

"We were disappointed after the stage to Siena, but our spirits remained high because Primoz was in good spirits," said Tratnik, Roglic's close friend and domestique, after the time trial in stage 10 about the disastrous day for Red Bull. "And what else can we do? We could have packed our bags and gone home, but we are here and will keep fighting until the end. If we maintain that positive vibe, anything is possible."

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The lack of support in last Sunday's gravel stage was due to the neutralized stage 6 to Naples. Four Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe riders crashed in the wet conditions, with Jai Hindley even abandoning the race. Daniel Felipe Martínez and Jan Tratnik also went down on the wet asphalt. The duo was, therefore, unable to keep up with the front runners when the pace picked up again on Wednesday's day 11.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe will have to respond, especially since Roglic crashed again in stage 10 while scouting the time trial and, partly due to the rain, was ultimately unable to make up much time on his rivals. Tratnik: "We are a group of good riders; we are good friends and support each other. You have to stay positive, and so far, we have been out of luck, but we believe Primoz can still win. The hardest part of the Giro is yet to come."

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It was during all the setbacks that Pellizzari, a young 21-year-old, excelled. Sports director Patxi Vila already praised the Italian in Siena. "Thanks to Giulio's work, we only talk about one minute behind Ayuso. It could have been much more," he said at the time. Hearing this, Pellizzari smiled at the start of stage 12 on Thursday. "Everything is going well for now, although we may have lost too much time on the gravel. Things didn't go our way, but we'll keep fighting."

How good was Pellizzari, who transferred from Bardiani last winter, on gravel? "I rode the best metrics of my life in an hour and a half; my legs felt really good. I'm glad I was able to stay with Primoz. Do I feel pressure? No, I'm just doing my job. If you have the legs, it comes naturally. I'm happy with my performance because I struggled at the Giro's start last year. It's my first year with such a big team, and it's an honor to help Primoz. That's what I'm here for."

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Pellizzari's level of performance is no surprise, of course, as he almost won a Giro stage last year after breaking away from the peloton. Back then, he was still the youngster overtaken by Tadej Pogacar and got his glasses and shirt back after the finish. Now he is part of a large WorldTour team. "Let's see what happens in the mountains because I am convinced we will have two or three extra riders in the mountains in the final week."

That will be necessary because Roglic will have to make up time. Pellizzari is convinced that his leader can still make an impact. "The Giro is only just beginning. We are sure that Primoz will be there in the third week; he is one of the best riders in the world on that front. We are happy within the team and will keep fighting, so things will improve in the third week."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])