'I was full gas' - Red Bull's winning streak in Spain ends despite Pellizzari's bold attack

2026 started well for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe with four victories in a row at the Challenge Mallorca, courtesy of a team time trial win, two solos from Remco Evenepoel and a sprint finish success on debut for the German team for Arne Marit. 

After the second of his victories in Mallorca, Evenepoel noted that it was very likely he would lose his perfect record in the colours of Red Bull, as the opening stage of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana was destined for a sprint finish. 

That forecast came to fruition, but that didn’t mean that Red Bull’s hopes of continuing their Spanish win streak were certain to come to an end, as Marit, high on confidence, gave the team a card to play on the run-in to Torreblanca.

In the end, the Belgian sprinted to second on the opening stage behind Biniam Girmay (NSN), who scored his first victory on debut for NSN. For a brief moment, it looked uncertain who had actually sprinted to victory, but Marit was sure of the outcome, resigned to second place behind the Eritrean.

“I felt already before the line that I was not going to make it, because I know the sprint speed of Bini [Girmay],” Marit told CyclingProNet. “Bini [Girmay] is not the fastest in the acceleration, but once he is on the speed, he's difficult to pass as he can keep the high watts for really long, so I knew I had to accelerate before him.”

“But I didn't have the legs to be honest to make the move earlier, because he went already quite early,” said Marit.

With a climb to Puerto Los Madroños coming inside the final 30km, and with bonus seconds at the summit, Red Bull pushed the pace and secured a bonus second for Evenepoel in the overall standings. Shortly following, fellow GC star Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) launched an attack. 

“We took the climb full gas,” Pellizzari told CyclingProNet. “We went for the bonus, to take some seconds for Remco. He took one second, so we can be happy, and then we just started with some attacks. I was lucky that I went, but the last kilometre was the hardest.”

It was a sight to behold seeing the 22-year-old Italian, who finished sixth at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España in 2025, trying to hold off a charging peloton on a run-in to a sprint finish. The chasers would have their work cut out trying to reel Pellizzari in, but the catch was eventually made just before the final kilometre.

“I was a bit full gas, so I expected [to be caught] before the finish, but I just pulled until the end,” said Pellizzari. “It was the first race for me, so I can only be happy with this.”

Crucially, Pellizzari’s presence out front allowed Marit and his Red Bull teammates to surf the wheels and not expend energy with their noses out front in the wind. Marit was grateful for the work of his Italian teammate in the finale, and his fellow teammates, despite not coming away with the result he wanted.

"It's actually crazy how the climbers throw themselves here in this bunch sprint. So I really have to thank them," said Marit. "They commit so much for me, it's really a pleasure for me to ride in a team like Bora, where the sprinters also do lead outs, so it's a bit crazy, to be honest. For sure, I would have loved to give them a victory again, but second it is. 

Stage 2 presents a 17km individual time trial, where Olympic and World Champion Evenepoel will be aiming to establish a foothold in the general classification and secure his third individual victory in Red Bull colours.