Giulio Pellizzari makes cycling history at just 21 – despite late heartbreak at La Vuelta 2025

Giulio Pellizzari’s 2025 season will be remembered as the year a new Italian hope for Grand Tour glory truly announced himself. At just 21 years of age, Pellizzari has delivered back-to-back sixth-place finishes at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, a feat that not only marks him as one of the breakthrough riders of the year but also etches his name into the sport’s history books.

According to Cycling Statistics on X, Pellizzari is the youngest rider ever to record top-10 finishes in the general classification of two Grand Tours within a single season. The previous holders of that distinction were names now woven into cycling folklore: Felice Gimondi, Laurent Fignon, and José Manuel Fuente among them. Pellizzari’s achievement surpasses them all in terms of precocity, underscoring just how rare his consistency and resilience are at such a tender age.

The Giro d’Italia provided the first glimpse of what Pellizzari could become. In a race ultimately won by Simon Yates ahead of Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz, the young Italian quietly accumulated consistency, excelling in the high mountains and limiting his losses elsewhere to finish sixth overall. It was the type of ride that hinted at long-term GC potential but also raised a question: could he back it up across another three-week race later in the year?

The Vuelta offered the answer. Not only did Pellizzari once again ride into the top six overall, he also claimed his first Grand Tour stage victory, conquering the steep slopes of Alto de El Morredero with the poise of a rider far older than his years. It was a breakout moment, confirmation that he was not simply surviving the attrition of a Grand Tour but capable of seizing opportunities and delivering under pressure.

For much of the Vuelta, Pellizzari wore the white jersey as the best young rider. His duel with American Matthew Riccitello became one of the stories of the final week, with the Italian carrying a slender advantage into the last summit finish. On the brutal gradients of the Bola del Mundo, however, Riccitello overturned the deficit, not only snatching the jersey but also edging Pellizzari in the final GC standings.

It was a bitter ending to what could have been a crowning achievement, yet in truth the loss of the white jersey does little to diminish the scale of Pellizzari’s season. The symbolism of a statistic that places him ahead of cycling legends at the same stage of their careers carries far more weight than a single classification jersey.

Plenty of talented youngsters burst onto the scene with a stage win or a single flashy performance. What Pellizzari has done is rarer: he has shown the ability to sustain GC form across two Grand Tours in a single year, something that requires not just climbing brilliance but also resilience, recovery, and tactical intelligence.

He has proven capable of riding with discipline, limiting losses when the odds are stacked against him, and striking decisively when opportunities arise. Those are precisely the qualities that separate future Grand Tour contenders from one-off sensations.

If this season has been Pellizzari’s apprenticeship at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, the next few years will determine how far his talent can carry him. To climb from sixth overall into podium contention he will need improvements against the clock and continued development in race craft, but the foundation has already been laid. His team will now face the task of managing expectations, tailoring his programme carefully, and ensuring he is not burned out by the weight of early success.

Still, history suggests that riders who can produce such results so early are destined for big things. Pellizzari’s 2025 campaign has placed him in exalted company, not only by statistics but by the manner in which he has carried himself across the sport’s toughest races.