Strava and Velon data show just how deep Pellizzari had to go against Van der Poel and Del Toro
CyclingWednesday, 11 March 2026 at 10:57
The first three riders across the line on stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico looked completely spent. Mathieu van der Poel took the win, but even he needed several minutes to recover afterwards. Isaac del Toro had to turn himself inside out in a superb battle with the Dutchman. So what about the third rider in that lead group: Giulio Pellizzari?
ADVERTISEMENT
Most eyes on Tuesday had still been on Primoz Roglic. After a strong time trial on stage 1, he had been mentioned as one of the outsiders for the finish in San Gimignano, where a hectic finale over gravel roads was always likely to shake things up. The Slovenian eventually finished 11th, in the first chasing group full of major names, 17 seconds behind winner Van der Poel.
Pellizzari was the man who delivered for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. He managed to follow Van der Poel’s move on the Sterrato, even though both he and Del Toro were briefly delayed by Matteo Jorgenson’s crash. Pellizzari and Del Toro made it back across, after which the stage turned into a sprint between three exhausted riders on the stones of San Gimignano.
ADVERTISEMENT
Read more below the video
Pellizzari completely spent after brutal Tirreno finale
ADVERTISEMENT
After cameras caught Van der Poel gasping for breath following the sprint, Pellizzari then came into view on the Eurosport broadcast. The 22-year-old Italian was sitting on the ground, breathing heavily in the rain. He later reflected via the official channels of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe: “Today was a big ride for me and for the whole team. We entered the gravel sector in a perfect position with Primož, Gianni and the guys, and everyone did a really strong job to keep us at the front.”
The fact Pellizzari was able to stay with Van der Poel and Del Toro was down to his own legs as well. Those same legs had already carried him to a surprising 12th place in the opening time trial, so his form is clearly there. He added: “In the final kilometres we went full gas and tried to win the stage. We were close today, but there are still five stages left and we will keep trying.”
Read more below the video
How hard did Van der Poel, Del Toro and Pellizzari go?
ADVERTISEMENT
Van der Poel and Del Toro did not share their race files, but Pellizzari’s ride can still be measured through Strava data and Velon information. On Strava, the key effort comes on the segment strada bianca to S.Giminiano, a stretch of 5.15 kilometres, which was preceded by a 1.14-kilometre sector at 8.8 percent called Pietrafitta, where Van der Poel blew the race apart.
Van der Poel, Del Toro and Pellizzari all crested that section together, with the first chasers still relatively close at that point. Thymen Arensman, for instance, covered the climb only six seconds slower. The Dutchman recorded an average of 533 watts over that 1.14-kilometre effort, with a peak of 767 watts. Given Arensman’s weight, that works out at roughly 7.7 to 7.8 watts per kilo on average.
Read more below the Strava post
Pellizzari’s sprint against Van der Poel and Del Toro was seriously impressive
ADVERTISEMENT
After Arensman crashed on the rain-soaked descent that followed, the race at the front became a three-man fight. Pellizzari blasted across the full gravel sector in 8 minutes and 49 seconds, which was 22 seconds faster than Wout van Aert and Uno-X rider Tobias Halland Johannessen. The Norwegian averaged 405 watts on the gravel, good for around 6.53 watts per kilo.
So the power of the front three must have been significantly higher again. And the uphill sprint by the trio through a drenched San Gimignano was equally eye-catching. According to Velon, Pellizzari sprinted for 26 seconds at an average of 720 watts, with a peak of 830 watts. He reached a maximum speed of 31.9 kilometres per hour, but it was still only enough for third place, just centimetres short of victory.
Read also
IDL-productions
Vacancy: Growth Editor IDL Procycling - (native) English
Sprinters are getting little change from Tirreno-Adriatico: “I’ll do everything to reach the final stage”
Favorites stage 3 Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 | Can Van der Poel lead out Philipsen after gravel-stage win?
Van der Poel and Pogačar force Ganna into energy-saving mode at Tirreno on the road to the Poggio
Pogačar critical despite Strade Bianche win as he looks ahead to next big target
Latest Cycling News
Vacancy: Growth Editor IDL Procycling - (native) English
Knetemann worries about Van Aert’s spring ambitions: “It’s not all about good watts”
Ethan Hayter responds to costly middle finger: “It was a bit childish”
Sprinters are getting little change from Tirreno-Adriatico: “I’ll do everything to reach the final stage”
Popular Cycling News
Pogačar critical despite Strade Bianche win as he looks ahead to next big target
Van der Poel and Pogačar force Ganna into energy-saving mode at Tirreno on the road to the Poggio
Favorites stage 3 Paris-Nice 2026 | Crucial day for Vingegaard and the GC contenders
Favorites stage 2 Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 | Strade Bianche aftertaste sets the scene for Van der Poel vs Van Aert?
Ethan Hayter responds to costly middle finger: “It was a bit childish”
Latest Comments
- It's a bit embarrassing that. Isn't the main sponsor supposed to keep them at 36.5 ?tomjacques03-03-2026
- They were close to cracking a very tired Tadej that wasn't fully focused on the TdF with a team of riders focused solely on cracking Tadej. And if they cracked him, he would have still won. Tadej won't be racing the giro this year. It'll be an even easier win for him.Veganpotter09-02-2026
- Nice!Bea22-01-2026
- Those events are mental rest for him. Fun, without expectations. *Sagan lost his abilities because he gained weight and got lazy. Pogi will likely retire before that has a chance at happening.Veganpotter14-12-2025
- Ah, the consequences of riding for Israel.Veganpotter11-12-2025
- Pidcock could follow everyone but Pogi while finishing 3rd. No second place rider this season😃Veganpotter16-11-2025
- Now the Palestinian protestors can stop their whining. Trump came to the rescue. So they can now STFU and go back to waving the rainbow flags.raufus15-10-2025
- Cracked the code lol. If it was that easy to 'crack the code' jonny Vegas would be charging up the Kwaremont giving Pog a dose of his medicine. Evenepoel can't match pog on a climb and neither can mvdp. Anything with a half difficult climb and Pog smashes the field. Even on flat(ish)parcours like Roubaix it came down to a mistake and crash by pog to definitively crown mvdp. MSR is the only one that Pog probably won't win.kevpt10-10-2025
- We've seen this movie before. I think Pogacar is doping.DeadBlow10-10-2025
- 👍Bea08-10-2025
Loading
