No Pogacar this time to spoil Pellizzari’s party, Red Bull takes control of the Vuelta: "We wanted to break Pidcock"

Because alongside the stage win, Pellizzari also gained time in the general classification in the battle for the top five and doubled his lead in the young rider classification over a frustrated Matthew Riccitello. “Riccitello tried to break me, but once the steepest gradients hit, I went for it. That’s where my weight gave me the advantage a bit,” laughed the day’s winner in his flash interview.

That Pellizzari was going for the win had been clear from the start of the day. “I already felt today could be my day, and thanks to the team it worked out. Plus, we’re still fighting for the podium with Jai,” he said, referring to teammate Jai Hindley’s third place overall, which Hindley managed to strengthen with a few more seconds. “This is the greatest moment of my still short career,” Pellizzari rejoiced.

Sports director Patxi Vila watched with approval as Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe hit the gas in the valley leading into the final climb. “We knew that was the moment to do damage by keeping the pace high. The team was fantastic. They worked really well. And because Giulio was a bit further down in the GC, we decided to go for the stage win with him.”

As expected, the GC podium contenders didn’t react to Pellizzari’s accelerations. “It worked perfectly. Giulio was incredible, and Jai did a great job behind controlling the group. I think we executed it brilliantly. Exactly the tactical plan you want when you have two cards to play.”

Still, Pellizzari admitted that the high tempo in the valley wasn’t just about setting him up for victory. “We went full gas in the valley to try to break Pidcock,” he confessed. That, however, didn’t succeed. “When we were two riders in a group of six, I knew that if I attacked, no one would bring me back. And that’s exactly how it happened.”

Breaking Pidcock will have to wait for another day. The Q36.5 leader looked strong in stage 17, even extending his advantage for third place over Hindley to 36 seconds. Pellizzari, now just 47 seconds behind Hindley, could still play an important role in the final days, giving Red Bull two strong cards to influence the Vuelta.