Why Red Bull believe Giulio Pellizzari is just getting started

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe’s Head of Performance, Dan Lorang, has revealed that Giulio Pellizzari produced better peak performance numbers at the Vuelta a España despite the young Italian feeling stronger during the Giro d’Italia. 

The 21-year-old climber has had an excellent 2025 campaign and debut season with the German team, having finished 6th in both the Giro and Vuelta, and also winning a stage in the latter. Lorang credited the Italian's character and professional mindset.

"[Giulio] Pellizzari always trains 100 per cent. But he's a rider, he wants to compete, and that's his great passion. Winning races, being successful. And he's doing everything necessary to achieve it, whether it's nutrition, training, recovery, and so on. He's already very professional despite his young age," Lorang told Bici.pro.

Lorang discussed how the team handled the challenges of Pellizzari, a young rider, tackling two Grand Tours in a season, and explained that the team’s cautious planning made it possible. “This was our approach, respecting his age and the timeframe of his preparation."

"If we also look at what he's done in the past, it's immediately clear that he's a rider capable of sustaining heavy loads, but we still had to be careful," said Lorang.

It was also confirmed by Lorang that testing had been conducted after the Italian rider's exploits at the Giro to ensure that Pellizzari had recovered sufficiently before committing to pushing ahead towards the Vuelta. 

“The option of competing in the Vuelta was always in our minds. First and foremost, however, it was a matter of seeing how he would fare after the Giro. So before starting training, we did blood tests and all the parameters to see how he had recovered and whether it really made sense to continue with the plan," said Lorang.

Lorang also explained that the tests indicated “That he [Pellizzari] was fresh,” and “He had recovered mentally and was also at a good athletic level. You have to admit, he's a rider who really enjoys what he does, and that makes everything easier. Sometimes younger guys struggle, but Giulio has always been 100 per cent, and at that point we had no doubts about sending him to the Vuelta.”

A particularly interesting insight came from Lorang when addressing the performance differences between the two Grand Tours in 2025 from Pellizzari, suggesting that, "We can look at it in two ways. If we look only at the pure numbers on total effort, the two Pellizzari riders were quite similar. However, the peak numbers were higher at the Vuelta, something we've also observed with other riders."

However, Lorang noted that this was in contrast to Pellizzari’s own sensations, "He was certainly fresher at the Giro and felt it. He felt full of energy. So even though he pushed harder at the Vuelta and was capable of better performances, he never felt as fresh as he did in spring."

Lorang acknowledged Pellizzari’s consistency at the Giro compared to more varied performances at the Vuelta, including a difficult day to Bola Del Mundo on stage 20 at the Spanish Grand Tour, where he ceded 5th and the youth classification to Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech). 

However, Lorang remained unconcerned and unsurprised, describing this as "normal for a young rider."

Lorang also explained Pellizzari's seated climbing style, comparing it to Tadej Pogačar's evolution: "Being able to produce that power while remaining seated is actually a strength. Because you can save a little more energy."

Looking ahead to the World Championships in Rwanda, Lorang has taken a balanced approach to Pellizzari’s preparations, with the 21-year-old set to take to the start line in the road race for the first time in the elite category.

"After the Vuelta, on the one hand, it was a mix of providing some motivation, so a bit of intensity, and preparing for the trip. On the other hand, it's about working to be fresh on the starting line," Lorang explained, though tempering expectations for the race. "As a team, we don't expect great results. Wearing the blue jersey is his dream, and we see it as a development for his future career."