'Now I understand what it means to be a leader' - Is Pellizzari Italy’s heir to Vincenzo Nibali?

In France, they’re already daring to dream about ending the drought, and now in Italy, they might be about to follow suit. 

A decade has passed since Vincenzo Nibali became the last Italian winner of the Giro d’Italia and the Sicilian would remain the home nation’s most reliable performer in May right up until his retirement four years ago.

A nation began turning its lonely eyes to Giulio Pellizzari after a plucky showing on his debut in 2023, and he underlined his quality with sixth overall a year ago. But even after he landed a stage win and another sixth overall at the Vuelta a España in September, Pellizzari was still rightly viewed as a rider of promise rather than a guarantor of success. 

That status might be about to change after he claimed a commanding victory at the Tour of the Alps on Friday, sealing the overall title with a stylish solo effort into Bolzano. Pellizzari’s GC victory at the Tour of the Alps was the first by an Italian rider at this race since Nibali himself claimed the Giro del Trentino, as it was then known, back in 2013. The following month, he claimed the first Giro d’Italia of his career.

“It’s crazy for me to be here 13 years after Vincenzo Nibali,” Pellizzari said when he took a seat in the press room afterwards. “He’s a great name for me, but I’m still young, so I can try to catch him.”

It’s been a big week for Pellizzari, who claimed two stages en route to overall victory, bringing his tally of pro wins to four. It was also the first time he has won a stage race of any description. “I never won one, not even as an amateur,” he smiled.

Pellizzari impressed in his first season with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe last year, but he also occupied a very different role in the hierarchy of the team. He started the Giro in the service of Primoz Roglic and even at the Vuelta, where he shared leadership with Jai Hindley, his success came as a bonus. 

This season, by contrast, Pellizzari has been entrusted with the responsibility of bringing home results, come what may.

“It’s really different when you have to perform,” Pellizzari said. “Last year, I was just a helper, and I started races hoping that I would perform. Today, I had no choice; I had to perform. This makes a difference. Now I understand what it means to be a leader. When you have a team working for you, you can’t just say, ‘I don’t have the legs.’ It’s crazy what the team does for me, so you have to go full for them.”

Pellizzari went full and then some on the climb of Cologna di Sopra, accelerating with intent after work from his teammate Giovanni Aleotti. The Ineos duo of Thymen Arensman and Egan Bernal, who each started the day just four seconds down on GC, attempted to follow, but they were soon burned off by the sheer intensity of Pellizzari’s effort.

The Italian crested the summit with 15 seconds in hand on his pursuers, and he would double that advantage on the drop into Bolzano, dealing comfortably with everything the descent threw at him.

“Beh, I took a few risks alright, but I was always trying to stay in control,” Pellizzari said. “In the end, it wasn’t that difficult a descent. A couple of times, the sports director told me not to take risks and then I made mistakes on those corners, so I took out my earpiece and continued on my way…”

Shutting out the outside noise is a useful quality at any time, and it might stand Pellizzari in good stead between now and the Giro, where home expectations are rising about his chances of placing on the podium and possibly even challenging Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) for the maglia rosa. 

Speaking to Domestique at the start in Trento on Friday, two-time Giro winner Gilberto Simoni was adamant that Pellizzari could put Vingegaard under severe pressure in May.

“I hope that I’m not so far,” Pellizzari said. “I still have something to improve between now and the Giro. But for me and the team, I hope the Giro will be open until the end.”