Pidcock delivers in Arco as Pellizzari keeps Melinda Green Jersey

He came close a few days ago in Innsbruck, but champions rarely miss twice. This time Tom Pidcock took the glory at the Tour of the Alps 2026, sealing a win that carried particular meaning for Sport Alto Garda, the organising company of the Euroregional race, headquartered right here in Arco.

On the Arco finish line, on Wednesday, April 22nd, the two-time Olympic mountain-bike champion dominated the sprint, making up for the win that had slipped through his fingers at the line in Tirol. Behind him, a fine second place for the young Tommaso Dati (Team UKYO), while a convincing Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) rounded out the podium. For the Colombian climber, attention now turns to tomorrow’s queen stage, which will take the race from Arco to Trento.

The Briton’s victory was built on intelligence and determination, converting the finale work of his Team Pinarello Q36.5 team-mates. On the descent from Lago di Tenno, Mark Donovan first, then Chris Harper, reeled in the day’s two escapees, Darren Rafferty (EF Education–EasyPost) and Sam Oomen (Lidl–Trek).

On the closing straight, Pidcock gave his rivals no room: he first neutralised Ben O’Connor’s (Jayco AlUla) finisseur move with three kilometres to go, then took the final corner at the front and imposed himself with authority over the field. More Italy at the foot of the podium: fourth for 21-year-old Luca Paletti (Bardiani CSF Faizanè), ahead of Russia’s Alexandr Vlasov (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe).

Situation under control for overall leader Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), who keeps the Melinda Green Jersey despite a prudent approach to the sprint. The Italian climber will also find favourable ground in tomorrow’s stage, the toughest of the entire Tour of the Alps.

Behind Pellizzari, Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) stays second overall at 6”, while team-mate Bernal moves up to third thanks to the 4” bonus picked up at the line. The two Grenadiers will have to join forces to put the Green Jersey under pressure – a jersey that today lost its young team-mate Lorenzo Finn, forced to abandon after the mass crash at km 2.

PIDCOCK: “WINNING ALWAYS FEELS AMAZING”

“In my last race before the crash I was in top form, but today I found myself suffering at the back of the bunch, even dropped on the first climb: I had to change my mindset. When I got back on, and felt the legs responding better on the second climb, I told the team we’d go for the stage: pulling it off felt amazing. Compared with the first two days I can already feel the improvements: stage 1 was a real battle, one of the hardest days I’ve ever had on the bike. I came second, but that’s only part of the story.”

“I opened up from quite a way out, I didn’t want to get boxed in because I knew it was my best chance to go for the win. With hindsight I launched my sprint a bit too long, but in the end it worked out.”

“Tomorrow will be the hardest day of this Tour of the Alps, at least in terms of climbing. At this level, ten days off the bike is a lot: it takes time to get the legs back, but now that the pressure has eased I can enjoy myself.”

PELLIZZARI: “THANKS TO THE TEAM, A DEMANDING STAGE AHEAD TOMORROW”

“It will be a demanding race through to Friday. We’re a team of climbers, and I have to thank my team-mates who rode brilliantly in a hard-fought, tough stage. Too bad about Lorenzo Finn’s crash: I hope he’s OK and can get back on the bike as soon as possible. Tomorrow brings another demanding stage, with a lot of riders packed within a few seconds on GC. I don’t think it’ll be any easier than today.”

OOMEN AND RAFFERTY SPEND THE DAY ON THE ATTACK

Just after the start from Latsch/Laces, a heavy mass crash at km 2 forced Howson (Pinarello Q36.5), Federspiel (Team Austria), Nespoli (MBH Bank), Langellotti (INEOS Grenadiers), Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla) and Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) to abandon. The race was neutralised for around twenty minutes to allow medical staff to reach the riders involved: their conditions, however, are not a cause for concern. The U23 World Champion fractured his wrist; Howson suffered a suspected broken collarbone, while Engelhardt underwent a CT scan that came back clear, with suspected fracture to the olecranon.

At the restart, several attack attempts were quickly reeled back in by the peloton, controlled by the Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe men both along the Vinschgau/Val Venosta valley floor and up Hofmahdjoch/Passo Castrin. On the final ramps, Darren Rafferty (EF Education–EasyPost) and Sam Oomen (Lidl–Trek) then gained ground, getting the green light from the peloton on the following descent.

The leading duo topped a maximum gap of 2’28” at km 96, while behind them Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe and INEOS Grenadiers handled the situation without breaking sweat. Denmark’s Chris Juul-Jensen (Jayco AlUla) also tried to bridge across to the leaders, but the Dane gave up after a few kilometres, reabsorbed by the bunch.

Tactically surprising, Rodriguez’s (EF Education–EasyPost) move on the Tenno climb, despite the presence of team-mate Rafferty up the road. Pinarello Q36.5, however, took control of the race on the following descent toward the Garda Trentino, thanks to a polished job by Donovan and Harper, instrumental in piloting Pidcock into the closing kilometres.

With 4 km to go the peloton regrouped, but only for a few hundred metres: Australia’s Ben O’Connor broke the balance with an attack, quickly answered by Pidcock.

Two kilometres from the finish, the bunch came back together in view of the Arco sprint, where the two-time Olympic champion gave his rivals no room, imposing himself with authority and leaving his mark on his Tour of the Alps, also slipping on the Caffè Bocca della Verità Red Jersey for the points classification.

Pellizzari also keeps the FORST White Jersey, while Emanuel Zangerle (Team Vorarlberg) comfortably defended both the Gruppo Cassa Centrale Blue Jersey for the KOM classification and the e-VISO Giro special jersey for the most combative rider.

Melinda Green Jersey – General Classification: Giulio Pellizzari (Redbull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Gruppo Cassa Centrale Blue Jersey - KOM Classification: Emanuel Zangerle (Team Vorarlberg)
Caffè Bocca della Verità Red Jersey - Points Classification: Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5)
FORST White Jersey - Youth Classification: Giulio Pellizzari (Redbull-BORA-hansgrohe)
eVISO Giro Special Jersey - Breakaway King: Emanuel Zangerle (Team Vorarlberg)

TOMORROW’S QUEEN STAGE: BORDALA AND REDEBUS CLIMBS BETWEEN ARCO AND TRENTO

The queen stage – entirely in Trentino – takes place on Thursday, April 23rd: 167.8 km from Arco to Trento. After the Category 1 climbs of Passo Bordala (14.8 km at 6.9%) and Passo Redebus (12.9 km at 6.8%), the race enters a 37 km circuit that leads to the Brusago ascent, with the first three kilometres in double digits. Once the loop is completed, the bunch heads toward Trento to face a nervous, technical finale, featuring the Povo climb – a key point of the 2021 European Championships – and the descent into the centre of Trento.

THE TOUR OF THE ALPS ON TV

Stage 4 of the Tour of the Alps will be broadcast live from 13:30 to 15:30 CEST on Eurosport (Europe and Asia), HBO Max/Discovery+ and TNT Sports (UK), FloSports (US and Canada), X-Sports (Brazil), Rai (Italy and San Marino), ORF (Austria), L’Equipe TV (France, Monaco and Andorra), and Sports5 (Israel). Live streaming will also be available via the Age of Sports YouTube channel (Infront) in Africa, South America (excluding Brazil), Oceania, and parts of Asia, including Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.