"Half of the bunch is sick" - No excuses as Pellizzari jumps back onto Giro podium battle; Arensman loses position to Gall

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe feared a dark day on the Valle d'Aosta as both its leaders were affected by illness earlier in the week. However the German team came out of it with good news, with Giulio Pellizzari recovering a good level on the first serious high mountain stage of the race - whilst both he and Jai Hindley continue to be well within reach of a podium in Rome.

The Italian specifically suffered on the short summit finish to Corno alle Scale last week and lost important time in the overall classification. There were worries as he was often positioned at the back of the peloton during stage 14, however when the time came to push the pace, Pelizzari could respond. “I still feel something, but half of the bunch is sick, we have to suffer together,” Giulio Pellizzari said in a post-race interview.

With Afonso Eulálio and Ben O'Connor shedding several minutes, the Red Bull riders can be happy with the outcome of the day. They also gained some seconds on Thymen Arensman, who appears to be their most direct rival in the fight for the third place in the race. This is a fight that is expected to ignite in the final week of the race.

Into stage 15, Hindley is 53 seconds back on Gall and 40 on Arensman. Pellizzari sits 39 behind the Australian - in what is so far a very close battle. Michael Storer, Ben O'Connor, Derek Gee, Davide Piganzoli, Mathys Rondel and Egan Bernal are all within around 2:30 minutes of the Italian himself, meaning consistency will be key not to lose positions on the final week.

“I’m happy. It was a struggle, but it went well and I hope to get better. Given how I felt yesterday, I didn’t think I’d go so well here. Today was a battle against myself, I just had to stay focused. I want to thank all the people who have been close to me, because without them, I’d already have gone home. But I recovered well last night after the stage. It’s definitely not finished, and I’m happy to be up there with Jai Hindley.”

A great point of contention at this Giro d'Italia has been INEOS Grenadiers' reluctance in talking to the media, something which has been noticed and irritated the Giro d'Italia organizers themselves. At the summit finish in Pila this Saturday afternoon that was not the case, with Arensman briefly giving some words after a complicated day on the bike.

"It was certainly a tough day, but it was the same for everyone. It was very hot, and Visma | Lease a Bike set a beautiful tempo on all the climbs. So a hard day. I gave it everything I had," he added.

The Dutchman did not have a bad day on the bike, but under the extreme pressure of Visma's attacks and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's advances on the final climb, the Dutchman lost some time to his direct rivals. Arensman dropped to fourth after losing ground to Felix Gall and now finds himself also being directly chased by both Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari into the final week of the race.

"The team helped me brilliantly all day by keeping me cool. So I can be satisfied. I gave it everything I had — I can't do more than that," he concluded.