Giulio Pellizzari Struggles at Giro d'Italia Finish

Giulio Pellizzari's promising start at the 2026 Giro d'Italia turned sour as he struggled to maintain pace with the overall favorites during the Corno alle Scale summit finish, resulting in a drop from sixth to ninth place overall. With just 3.3 kilometers remaining at the challenging category 1 ascent, Pellizzari was seen lagging behind as the pace intensified, particularly from the teams Visma-Lease a Bike and Decathlon CMA CGM, leading the reduced general classification (GC) group. Despite attempts to keep up, the increased tempo caused him to lose contact completely, despite assistance from his Italian teammate Giovanni Aleotti.

Ultimately, Pellizzari finished in 22nd place, finishing 1:28 behind stage winner Jonas Vingegaard. Although he did not speak to reporters after the race, his team later announced on social media that Pellizzari suffered from stomach problems during the stage but pushed through to the finish. "A difficult day, but a strong fight. Despite stomach problems, Giulio dug deep all the way to the line, limited his losses and now sits 9th overall after today's stage nine," the team posted.

Jai Hindley, Pellizzari’s co-leader, had a tough day as well but limited his losses to Vingegaard, finishing the stage 50 seconds behind the winner and maintaining his fourth overall position, 4:32 behind GC leader Afonso Euláio. Pellizzari's performance took a hit as he fell behind to 5:15 off Euláio and 2:51 down on Vingegaard. Earlier in the race, having finished sixth in the previous year's Giro, he performed impressively at Blockhaus where he kept up with the main GC contenders, only cracking under pressure from Vingegaard.

Facing a disappointing day despite his earlier form, Pellizzari's struggles on the notably easier final ascent highlighted a significant setback. However, his time loss was relatively modest, providing hope for recovery. The upcoming rest day could be advantageous for Pellizzari as he seeks to recuperate from his upset stomach and regroup for the following stages.