About the person
- Giulio Pellizzari (Italy)
- Born 21 November 2003 (age 22), San Severino Marche, Italy
- Height: 1,83 m
- Weight: 66 kg
- Place of residence: San Marino
- Teams: Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè (2022-2024), Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe (since 2025)
- Major successes: Stage win and second Tour de l'Avenir (2023), third Tour of Slovenia, seventh Tour of Austria (2024), sixth Giro d'Italia, stage win and sixth Vuelta a España (2025)
TOUR Giulio, many TV viewers remember how you were presented with Tadej Pogačar's cycling glasses and pink jersey at the finish line after a strong performance at the Giro d'Italia 2024. Where did you find these souvenirs that every cycling fan would love to have?
PELLIZZARI They are now in the wardrobe at home with my parents in Camerino, in Le Marche. That means I don't see them much any more.
You were seen on TV as a newcomer approaching the top star Pogačar, who had snatched a possible victory from you on stage 16 shortly before. Is that your character, open, talkative, not at all shy?
Sometimes. My emotions got the better of me after crossing the finish line. Sometimes I have the feeling that I'm a bit too extroverted. Especially when the races were going well. I was so happy, I touched him. But I only do that when I'm very excited. I'm not normally like that.
It really was a special day back then. You were a debutant and were only caught by the world's best cyclist shortly before the finish line ...
It was a special moment because I was ill in the second week of the Giro and actually wanted to go home. But luckily the team didn't send me home. It was my first year at the Giro, I was the youngest. And it was one of the best days of my career so far. Only from that day on did I really believe that I could make it as a professional cyclist.
Did your performance that day also help you get the professional contract with Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe?
No. I already signed it in 2023, when I came second in the Tour de l'Avenir. I was in Salzburg in October after my last race day for some tests and then signed on my birthday: 21 November 2023.
A beautiful gift. Why was this team your choice?
The team had already been keeping a close eye on me since I came third on a stage of the Tour of the Alps. I had the feeling that they really wanted me on the team. So Red Bull was an easy choice - or Bora at the time.
The Giro 2024 was notorious for its bad weather. Doesn't that bother you?
Of course, you prefer it on the bike when it's sunny. But I feel pretty good when it's cold and raining - so it was a perfect day then. I had good legs. I wanted to win - but second place was also a good result.
You have now made up for your first victory as a professional. Last year, you were first on the 17th stage of the Vuelta a España, up El Morredero. It was in the third week of your second three-week tour last year, and the final five kilometres were uphill with an eleven per cent gradient. You didn't feel tired?
Of course I was tired. But I think the others were a bit more tired than me. I've always felt good in my three Grand Tours so far. It was a special day, a lot of effort from the whole team and I did a great job - both for myself and for Jai (Hindley), who was supposed to finish on the podium. For me, stage 16 or 17 are always the best. In the Giro back then it was the 16th stage. It must be the number. I don't know why - but I'm always good on these stages.
There has been talk of a crisis in Italian cycling in recent years. There was a lack of successors for Vicenzo Nibali. You recently finished sixth overall in both the Giro and the Vuelta. Now the tifosi have high hopes for you. Do you feel any pressure?
Well, in Italy we are a bit mad about cycling. That's good for me, it motivates me. And I'm lucky that I have good friends and a good family at home, they keep me grounded.
Tell us about your journey into cycling.
As a junior, I was one of the best on the climbs in Italy, but I wasn't very good at winning races. I only had three wins. So I wasn't exactly the champion. But I improved in the U23 class - also thanks to my whole team.
You could say that you have successfully turned in the direction of cycling. But that's only been certain for a short time. What would have been your alternative career path?
I focussed completely on cycling. But of course I had a plan B. Otherwise I would have liked to be a policeman like my father. But I always dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist and believed I could do it. Now, of course, I'm happy, smiling all day and living my dream.
You now live in the small state of San Marino. Why has this become your adopted home?
Of course, I have to admit that many racing drivers live there for tax reasons. But it's also just a good neighbourhood to live in. I'm not particularly good at saying no to my old friends, for example. That's why I have to stay away from home for a sporty lifestyle. There are a lot of cyclists here in San Marino who have also become friends.
In San Marino, similar to Girona in Spain or Monaco and the surrounding area, a real cycling community has formed ...
Yes, Davide Piganzoli, Isaac del Toro and Antonio Tiberi live in my house ...
You have a household that could dominate the big stage races together in the future. Do you train together?
Yes, sometimes we train together. We have a training group in San Marino. I always ride with Piganzoli, but not often with del Toro.
Is training together always a bit of a competition?
No. I'd say we're all pretty quiet lads, we enjoy our time together and don't have to constantly show each other who's stronger. We do our training and then play together in the afternoons. We don't feel so much competition with each other.
Do you ever talk about how you could all be on the Tour or Giro podium together?
I am slowly beginning to believe that this is possible. Del Toro is currently one of the best racers in the world. The three of us have already stood on the podium together at the Tour de l'Avenir. Maybe one day ...
Last year, on the final mountain stage over the Colle delle Finestre, you witnessed at close quarters how your buddy del Toro lost the overall Giro victory to Britain's Simon Yates at the last minute. How did you experience that as a companion?
It was a very important stage for me. I learnt that you can win the Giro on the last stage, that it's never over. I look at it from that perspective. And from del Toro's perspective, you can see that you can lose the Giro in 20 kilometres.
During the Giro, you were seen patting del Toro in the pink jersey on the back. Are you friends or rivals in the race?
We are really good friends. But of course we ride for our respective teams. We want to win - each of us, me, him and Piganzoli too. But we can also joke around a bit during the race. But when the race gets serious, I want to leave them behind and not be left behind by them.
Your big goal for the 2026 season is the Giro d'Italia. You are to be given a role as co-captain by the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe team - alongside leader Jai Hindley, who already won the Giro in 2022. What does the Giro mean to you as an Italian?
For me, it's the race of my dreams. I've always done well at the Giro so far, there are a lot of fans there. And of course it's a very important race for us Italians.
Tell us what you personally experience as a racing driver along the track ...
When you ride one of the big climbs, Stelvio or Mortirolo, and you see a whole mountain full of people shouting your name - that's incredible and for me one of the best things ever.
What distinguishes the Tifosi from fans in other parts of the world?
It's something special for us Italians. There are certainly fewer fans at the Vuelta than at the Giro. At the Giro there are many fans at the start and finish, especially on the climbs. That simply provides a lot of motivation.
Is the Z generation of racers in Italy still growing up with the stories of Coppi, Bartali, Gimondi, Moser, Saronni and Pantani?
No, because I've never seen any of them race. So I don't know exactly who they are. I've rather seen Nibali or Froome.
One stage of the Giro 2026 passes through your home region. A special destination?
This stage near my parents' house is going to be tough, but it's not really for me, there are rather shorter climbs. Of course I want to be in the first group there if possible. But my main goals are on the long mountains.
On the way to your old home, the Giro route already takes you up the infamous "Blockhaus" climb in the Abbruzzo region. Would that be something for you?
Yes, I'll try to go there because I've never ridden the climb. I'm also going to watch the Passo Giau and the last Giro climb to Piancavallo with my friends, which is very tough. These are the stages that suit me!
There is also a long, flat individual time trial at the upcoming Giro. How well prepared are you for this?
I train a lot on the time trial bike with my coach. The individual time trial at the Giro is quite long. I have to be good there. We've already been in the wind tunnel in San Francisco. And I've improved a few things in collaboration with our engineers. Basically, I like time trials, so it won't be that hard for me.
You are to share the leadership role in the upcoming Giro with Hindley. Have you already discussed how you both want to organise this?
I get on really well with Jai, that's the most important thing. We worked well together at the Vuelta. I think it will be easy. He's a role model for me, an inspiration. We'll take it easy, if one of us proves to be stronger, the other will help him.
It looks like you could be a complete classics rider of the future and win one of the big stage races ...
At the moment, winning is not yet a goal, just a dream. But I hope that it will become a realistic goal that I can achieve in the future.
What would you prefer - a podium at the Giro or at the Tour?
Difficult to say. As a child, the Tour de France was my favourite race because it's simply the most important race in the world. But my heart beats for the Giro.
If you want to become one of the world's top cyclists, you have to keep a close eye on your weight, count calories and weigh your food. How strict are you about this?
For now, I'm taking it easy and keeping an open mind when it comes to eating. I've never had a big problem with weight before. But of course I have to be in perfect shape this year, have the perfect body. So I'm going to start losing some weight early, but not a lot. I think that will be an easy task for me.
Her friend Andrea Casagranda is also a cyclist. She rides for the Continental team Vini Fantini-BePink. How much do you have in common in everyday training?
We do a lot of training together, on coffee rides of course, or on long rides when I'm riding quite relaxed. Then it's nice to have her with me. But she lives in Trentino - and that's quite far away from San Marino.
They come from the same area in Le Marche as Michele Scarponi, who was killed in a training accident near his home town of Filottranno in 2017. In 2022, another well-known professional cyclist, Davide Rebellin, was killed in traffic during training. The Italian Cycling Federation has launched initiatives to improve safety for cyclists. How do you experience the situation on Italy's roads?
I feel quite safe in my neighbourhood. But it's a nationwide problem, safety on the roads. When I'm in Trentino, it's quite dangerous. We like to train in Spain or other countries because we feel safer there. It has to get better. We need to educate drivers much better in this respect.
But there are also traffic rules in Italy and the police ...
Yes, there are new rules in Italy. You have to keep at least 1.5 metres to the side in your car when overtaking a cyclist. My father, who works for the Polizia Stradale, hands out a lot of fines because of this. He is a cyclist himself and knows how dangerous it is if you pass a cyclist in a lorry with less than 1.5 metres distance.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
