Giulio Pellizzari carries Italian hopes at the Tour of the Alps
The 49th edition of the euro-regional stage race, which takes place from 20 to 24 April, will be the next key event in the calendar for the 22-year-old Italian rider. "This race made me realise that I have a future in cycling." Italy is pinning its hopes on him too, having been waiting for a win since 2013 when Nibali triumphed
Superstition prevents him from making bold claims or setting explicit targets, but it’s clear that the Tour of the Alps is a special race for Giulio Pellizzari. A week before the euro-regional event starts (20–24 April) — held between Tirol, Südtirol/Alto Adige and Trentino — the young Italian is training at altitude on Teide, which has long been considered a key benchmark for riders aiming to excel on climbs. Pellizzari is well aware of this, and he also knows that his performance in the Tour of the Alps will be a good indicator of his chances in the Giro d’Italia, as riders who perform well on these roads typically have the legs to think big.
Following his excellent third-place finish at Tirreno-Adriatico, Pellizzari can no longer fly under the radar. His team, Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, is backing him as team leader for both the Tour of the Alps and the Giro, and Italian fans are looking to him as a new stage-race contender following Vincenzo Nibali’s retirement.
The race’s roll of honour supports this narrative: the last Italian winner was in 2013 at the Giro del Trentino. Unsurprisingly, the winner was Vincenzo Nibali – “The Shark” - who went on to win the Giro d’Italia that same year.
“My goal is to perform really well and achieve a strong result. I’m very superstitious, so I won’t reveal my target,” said Pellizzari with a smile, before adding: ”Who was the last Italian to win the general classification?”
That was more than just a declaration of intent. The Melinda Green Jersey, awarded to the overall leader, is the target. His preparation shows it, too. "I’ve been studying the finish in Martell/Val Martello and rode the final 70–80 kilometres of the queen stage, which finishes in Trento. It’s very demanding; the two long climbs at the start of the stage will take their toll before the finale, where there are shorter, steeper ascents. By then, even a short climb could make all the difference.”
"The Tour of the Alps is an important race that always features a very high level of competition, and it provides the right answers ahead of the Giro d’Italia. I also have a strong connection with it. In 2023, during one of my first professional races, I realised I belonged at this level after the stage finishing in Predazzo. In hindsight, I might have missed an opportunity to win, but it was a pivotal day in my career — I realised then that I had a future in cycling.”
Alongside Pellizzari, Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe will field a strong line-up, including Giovanni Aleotti, Aleksandr Vlasov and U23 World Champion Lorenzo Finn. Pellizzari had high praise for Finn: "He’s really strong and very promising. I hope he can do what I did in my first Tour of the Alps — and even better.”
"As for the competition, there are many strong riders, from Storer, who performed exceptionally well last year, to O’Connor, who almost won two years ago. Not to mention Derek Gee: it will be a great battle, but I want to be ready.”
Ben O’Connor and last year's top three — Michael Storer, Thymen Arensman and Derek Gee — may also be joined by another major contender: Egan Bernal. The Colombian champion first rose to prominence on these very roads before going on to win both the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. He has yet to confirm his participation.
It promises to be a clash between the best stage-race specialists, a level that Pellizzari feels he is ready for. “Over the winter, I worked on building strength and improving my explosiveness. In modern cycling, you need to be able to handle sharp changes in pace if you want to win races. Training alongside champions like Roglič, Lipowitz and Evenepoel helps me a lot every day. I know what I still need to do to reach their level. How much more do I need? I need to take the final step.”
With increasingly concrete ambitions but no bold statements, Giulio Pellizzari is heading into the Tour of the Alps to see how close he is to achieving a breakthrough. The road will provide the answers — answers that could also reveal a great deal about the future of Italian cycling.
