"He is a boy who we have raised for three years" - Bardiani react with pride to Giulio Pellizzari's breakthrough Giro d'Italia performance
Cycling
Whilst Tadej Pogacar dominated the headlines at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, in the third week, VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè's Giulio Pellizzari put in some breakthrough performances.
The 20-year-old Italian, who was the young rider in the Grand Tour, starred with his performances, firstly on stage 16 where he came second to the Maglia Rosa, Tadej Pogacar. Although the stage win eluded him on that day, the prospect didn't leave the stage empty handed after securing the sunglasses and stage-worn Maglia Rosa of the UAE Team Emirates leader in the tent afterwards.
The duo first met all the way back at Strade Bianche back in 2019 with Pogacar a hero of Pellizzari as he made his way up the youth ranks whilst the Slovenian was starring with back-to-back Tour de France wins. On stage 20, Pogacar was again the man to thwart Pellizzari's hopes of a stage win and in the process deny the young Italian the King of the Mountains jersey too. With Pogacar wearing pink on the final stage in Rome though, Pellizzari was still able to roll into his nation's capital in the Maglia Azzurra.
“We couldn't ask for more from this Giro d'Italia, all we lacked was victory, but we always asserted ourselves and studied each stage down to the smallest detail," reflected VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè's team boss Roberto Reverberi in his post-Giro recap to the team's official website. "I can say that I am proud of our riders and what they showed in this Giro. In the case of Giulio Pellizzari, the satisfaction is double, because he is a boy who we have raised for three years and whom we have accompanied towards a big stage like that of the Giro d'Italia. I also want to thank the sports directors who supported me and all the members of the team, medical staff, mechanics and masseurs."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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