There are corridors that seem built to support the weight of an entire country. Giulio Pellizzari He is still 22 years old, with a shy smile and the appearance of a fragile climber, but Italy already sees him as the man capable of ending a too long wait. Since Vincenzo Nibali in 2016, no Italian has won the Giro again. Ten years of emptiness for a nation that experiences this race as an almost sentimental matter.
And in the middle of that collective need he appears, he Duke of Camerinothe boy from Las Marcas who grew up among earthquakes, mountains and big dreams. The Giro 2026 started with Pellizzari becoming one of the great attractions. His triumph just a few days ago in the Tour of the Alps It ended up triggering expectations that had been growing for months. But he tries to lower the noise around his figure. “I have a lot of expectations, but I think they come more from within than from without,” he explains to MARCA. at this start of the race.
“Obviously I want to do well, but we look at it stage by stage, calmly, without rushing the steps and looking to enjoy every day here.” He speaks slowly, almost cautiously. As if he still can’t believe everything that is happening around him. Italy, however, does believe so. Because Pellizzari brings together many of the things that Italian cycling has been looking for for years: talent for the mountains, calm personality, mental resistance and a story behind it that connects with people. Camerino, the city where he grew up, is still marked by 2016 earthquake. He was 12 years old when everything started to shake. That image of the glasses falling while his family escaped from home was recorded forever. Maybe that’s why it transmits that strange mix between serenity and inner hardness. As if he had learned too early that nothing stays still for too long. His definitive explosion came in the Giro’24.
Then he was just a young Bardiani climber who He surprised the world by fighting a stage against Pogacar in Monte Pana. The Slovenian ended up winning, but left a symbolic image: He gave Pellizzari a pink jersey and some of the leader’s glasses that he keeps like a treasure.. Since then it stopped being a promise to become a national obsession. Last year he already took another leap. He was sixth in the Giro y Vuelta, working first for Roglic and then for Hindley. Now everything changes. Red Bull gives him the lead of his big return home. It’s your turn to show your face as a co-leader.
And there appears one of the keys to this Giro: the collective strength of the German team. Jonas Vingegaard acknowledged in MARCA that the Red Bull team is the block that generates the most respect for him. Pellizzari smiles when he hears it. “It gives me pleasure,” he admits. “I think we’re a good team. We’re ready and we can’t wait to get started.”
Jonas Vingegaard: “I am a favorite for the Giro, but not the only one”
Well accompanied
At his side is Jai Hindley, winner of the Giro’22 and an important figure for its growth: “For me it is wonderful to run with him. I love his way of running and his way of being outside of races.
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Last year we had fun and we hope to have fun in this Giro too.” The race, however, seems designed for wear and tear. Lots of mountains, explosive finishes and a very tough third week where everything will probably be decided. Pellizzari avoids pointing out a specific stage. “I think there will be many decisions and every day it will be important to be there ahead. We look stage by stage and then we will think about the third week.”
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The great threat will be Vingegaard. The Dane arrives as the great favorite and Pellizzari doesn’t try to disguise it either. “There aren’t many strategies,” he admits with a laugh. “He’s very strong on the climbs, so I don’t know… we’ll see.” In Italy they have been waiting for years for a Nibali’s heir. Before they dreamed of many names that never finished supporting the weight of the pink jersey. Pellizzari hasn’t won anything big yet. But conveys something different. Maybe because he runs without fear and without pose. He knows that Jonas is at another level, but everyone reminds him that the Giro does not forgive anyone: “Every day is a battle and what we promise is fight”.
