Pellizzari free to hunt stage wins at the Vuelta

After a block of altitude training over the summer, Pellizzari is aiming to build on his sixth-place finish in the general classification at the Giro. The Italian performed strongly at the recent the Vuelta a Burgos, and he was heartened by the display ahead of the main event.

Speaking to Bici.pro, Pellizzari said that the Vuelta had not always been a certainty on his schedule. 

"The Vuelta at the beginning of the year was on the agenda," Pellizzari said. "Then having done the Giro, the Vuelta was removed, but we insisted with the trainer to put it back in. 

"In the end, for a rider like me, you need three-week races to keep growing. It would have been harder to go to Canada, Plouay or Germany, doing so many races or one-day races. So I'm happy to be here and let's see how it goes."

Fresh out of the Giro, Pellizzari's confidence was high. "I would have loved to do the Tour de Suisse, because I came out of the Giro well. But talking to the coach Artuso and Gasparotto, I was strongly advised to stay at home. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to take advantage of the legs I had at the Giro, a bit like I did last year in Slovenia. But having then opted for the Vuelta, I rested a lot... And now here we are at the start."

Regarding his training, Pellizzari said: "I did a lot of high altitude: a week in Trentino at my partner's house, then 23 days in Livigno. I was also supposed to go to Macugnaga with[Matteo] Sobrero and [Filippo] Ganna, but in the end we decided to return home.In general, especially at high altitude, I worked like on Mount Teide before the Giro. From Livigno I went straight to Burgos."

Pellizzari will not be aiming for the general classification at the Vuelta and will instead go stage-hunting. "No, for the GC there will be Jai Hindley. I and the others will aim for the stages. The team is pushing hard for me to aim for the stages, because it's the second Grand Tour of the year, I'm young and it's better not to overdo it. Certainly, however, the second time trial will be a goal: I will also do it strongly with a view to the future."