Cyclingflash
Like father, like daughter: Giorgia Pellizotti wins U19 cross in Zonhoven

Like father, like daughter: Giorgia Pellizotti wins U19 cross in Zonhoven

This afternoon, Mathieu van der Poel, Tibor Del Grosso, Puck Pieterse, and Thibau Nys will take action in Zonhoven, but in the morning, the juniors had already had their turn. In the race for U19 women, we saw a rider with a very familiar last name claim victory: Giorgia Pellizotti.

The 17-year-old Pellizotti is the daughter of – yes – Franco Pellizotti. The now 47-year-old Franco is known as one of the better Italian climbers of his generation. The slender climber was not only famous for his climbing abilities but also for his wild, curly mane. Older cycling fans will surely remember Pellizotti's nickname: the Dolphin of Bibione.

Pellizotti's biggest victories came in Tirreno-Adriatico, Paris-Nice, the Tour of the Basque Country, and the Giro d'Italia, where he managed to win multiple stages. In the Giro d'Italia, he also finished several times in the top 10 and even reached the final podium once, in 2009. That year he also won the polka dot jersey in the Tour de France, but these results were annulled due to a doping suspension.

Back to his daughter Giorgia, who is now making significant strides as a cyclocross racer. She has already achieved several top results in the World Cup this season. In the Zonhoven sandcross (a race that does not count towards the World Cup for juniors), she was able to celebrate victory. She managed to beat the Dutch Rianne Nieuwenhuis and Belgian Zita Peeters.