Red Bull can dream big in the Vuelta after Hindley’s confirmation and Pellizzari’s incredible comeback
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Follow us on GoogleRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was not mentioned among the favorites for the GC in the Vuelta a España. Jai Hindley may have been named as the team leader, but the Australian still had to prove himself after a heavy crash in the Giro d'Italia. Giulio Pellizzari finished sixth in that same Giro, but could he repeat that in a second Grand Tour? The Angliru provided some promising answers on Friday.
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Hindley and Pellizzari had been rolling through the stages of this Vuelta excellently, but they were rarely seen at the front. However, the 29-year-old Australian and the 21-year-old Italian were also rarely dropped, so before the Angliru day, they were eighth and tenth in the general classification. After the monstrous Vuelta climb, we find Hindley in fourth place and Pellizzari in sixth...
This had everything to do with two Red Bull riders who cracked on the Angliru but never broke. Pellizzari even dropped early on and seemed to be in for a tough day, but when the final kilometers of the Angliru arrived, the Italian was back among the first riders. He crowned his incredible comeback with sixth place in the stage results.
Hindley did not drop out early at all; he was even able to keep up with João Almeida and Jonas Vingegaard for a long time, but when the Portuguese rider from UAE Emirates-XRG pushed again, Hindley and Sepp Kuss were left behind. At one point, the maximum gap to the leading duo was 50 seconds, but Hindley also had a second wind and finished third, ‘only’ 28 seconds behind.
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Pellizzari gained some time on his rival for the white jersey, Riccitello
This was not the first time in this Vuelta that Hindley and Pellizzari had demonstrated their ability to pace themselves. Both had been dropped after a breakaway by another rider, but each time they managed to get back to the front at their own pace. “I’m a rider that is regular with his pace,” Pellizzari explained in his white youth jersey in the mixed zone.
“It was my first Angliru, harder than I expected,” the Italian smiled. “I tried to give my best and it was a really great fight with Riccitello.” The American from Israel-Premier Tech seemed to be riding Pellizzari out of the young rider's jersey, but in the end he was five seconds behind at the finish.
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Hindley for the podium, Pellizzari for the white jersey
Now that Hindley is suddenly three-quarters of a minute away from the Vuelta podium and Pellizzari has climbed to sixth place in his white jersey, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe can dream of more. “It was a good day for me, and also for Jai [Hindley] that is now near to the [GC] podium. I catched [Riccitello] in the last 3 or 4 kilometers and I gave my best in order to drop him, and that was hard. I’m happy and we will see tomorrow how the legs will be. The white jersey is a goal for me and for the team, so today was a good day. The climb was more for [Riccitello] so I'm really happy.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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