Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is sitting on gold, but: "We've gotten mad at Pellizzari before"

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is sitting on gold in the form of Giulio Pellizzari, says Roberto Reverberi in an interview with Bici. The Bardiani team manager had the now 20-year-old Italian under his wing for three years, during which the climber made great strides.

"Giulio has grown a lot in a short time over the past three years. Just this season alone, he made a leap both before and after the Giro d’Italia. And to think, in the Giro he was just one step away from withdrawing due to illness. Ultimately, he went on the attack and scored two impressive podium finishes on two tough days. It was a positive sign for him to recover from illness and ride like that in the third week."

His second place in the sixteenth stage on Monte Pana was impressive. Only Tadej Pogacar, thanks to that dominance we have become so accustomed to, managed to catch up to Pellizzari. However, it was on the twentieth day, with two ascents of Monte Grappa, that the top talent truly impressed his team boss. "The next day, UAE team director Fabio Baldato said they had to put Rafal Majka at the front very early to reduce the breakaway’s lead. If Giulio had started the final climb with a 2.5-minute lead, even Pogacar wouldn’t have caught him."

Read more below the photo.

Giulio Pellizzari

Pellizzari better than Ciccone, but still "reckless"

According to Reverberi, Pellizzari bears some resemblance to Giulio Ciccone, who also got his big break at Bardiani. "But Giulio is better uphill and has more potential than Ciccone did when he left us. Pellizzari can still progress in terms of racing smarter, and I imagine at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, he'll work on his time trialing. We never really focused on that. He also needs to improve in long climbs. He sometimes loses touch in the first accelerations, needing a bit to get into it. That will come with time."

Because Pellizzari has a strong head on him. "Giulio races on instinct and needs to be reined in. He needs to stay calm. We’ve gotten mad at him about this before. He wouldn’t listen and was reckless, acting without thinking. These guys are still young, and it’s good that they make mistakes as long as they learn from them. During the Giro dell’Emilia, I told him to hold back until the final climb, but instead, he attacked on the second-to-last climb of San Luca. At this level, riders only have one arrow to shoot, and he misfired. Davide Piganzoli finished third that day, but Pellizzari could have done the same."

So Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe still has some work ahead with this Italian diamond. However, Reverberi is confident it will all turn out well. "I hope they don’t just have him riding in support of others. I would, for instance, take him to the Giro d’Italia and give him the freedom to shine."

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