“I didn’t live up to the team or the Italian jersey” - Giulio Pellizzari eyes European Championship redemption after Worlds disappointment
Cycling
Giulio Pellizzari arrived at the World Championships believing Italy could fight for a medal. A few days later, his own race had ended with a DNF and a blunt admission that he had fallen short of both the team and the jersey.
"Disappointed not to have lived up to the team and the Italian jersey," Pellizzari wrote on Instagram after Montreal. "A new opportunity on Sunday."
That opportunity comes quickly. The 22-year-old is part of another strong Italian selection for the European Championship road race in Slovenia, just seven days after a Worlds that never developed the way he had hoped.
Pellizzari's disappointment was made sharper by the form he had shown heading into Canada. Earlier in September he won the Giro della Toscana with a late attack, came close to following it with victory at Coppa Sabatini and then finished second at the Memorial Marco Pantani.
Giulio Ciccone was Italy's best finisher in Montreal, coming home in 9th
Strong form before Montreal
Those results continued what has otherwise been an impressive 2026. Pellizzari finished third overall at both the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Tirreno-Adriatico before winning two stages and the general classification at the Tour of the Alps. He later finished second at the Tour of Slovenia and added another victory at the Vuelta a Burgos.
Only the Giro d'Italia really interrupted that run. Pellizzari had started the race around the top ten before fading badly in the final week and eventually finishing 21st.
By September, though, his form had clearly returned and Pellizzari went into the Worlds speaking confidently about Italy's chances. "The podium... isn't impossible. I consider it within our reach," he said before Montreal.
In the race itself, Pellizzari failed to reach the decisive phase as Giulio Ciccone eventually led Italy home in ninth.
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Another chance in Slovenia
Italy will go again on Sunday with Pellizzari, Ciccone and Christian Scaroni among their main options. Scaroni revealed after the Worlds that he and Pellizzari had helped convince Ciccone to add the European Championships to his programme, giving Italy another strong card for a course that should again reward aggressive climbing.
The 196.3-kilometre route features five ascents of Možjanca, around 2.1 kilometres at more than 10%, before the run towards Šenčur. For Pellizzari, that terrain looks far more like the kind of racing in which he has produced his best performances this season.
Montreal ended with disappointment and an apology to the Italian team. Slovenia gives him almost no time to dwell on it, with another championship chance arriving just one week later.
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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