Giro 2026: Giulio Pellizzari briefly considered quitting in stage to Andalo

Giulio Pellizzari started the Giro d'Italia a little over two weeks ago with very high expectations. The Italian also got off to a strong start, but illness threw a wrench in the plans. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider had to abandon early again on Wednesday’s stage to Andalo. This turned out to be a deliberate decision, although he did struggle along the way.

The 22-year-old Pellizzari has already experienced several tough moments in this Giro. This was the result of illness that flared up at the end of the first week. Last Saturday, he seemed to have regained his legs, but after a setback on the mountain stage to Carí, he had to definitively set aside his GC ambitions.

The following day, we saw Pellizzari drop off early once again. The Italian had to let the peloton ride away on the first climb, but this was intentional, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport afterwards. "I now have to recharge my batteries again. If I see a chance to let it go, I will take it. Thursday’s stage is also a recovery day for me, ahead of the two mountain stages on Friday and Saturday."

Pellizzari remains optimistic for the coming days, although other thoughts crossed his mind during the stage as well. "I did think about quitting for a moment. That was more today (in the stage to Andalo, ed.) than during the stage to Carí. It’s a very unpleasant situation, but for now let’s just stay calm. It will be fine."

Dempster: "This is also part of his development"
Zak Dempster, one of the team directors at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, also shed some light on Pellizzari’s situation. "Giulio is obviously very disappointed, but this is also part of his development. We fully support him. I don’t think he is struggling with pressure. It is more of a health issue. That’s what weighs heaviest."