“I don’t really know how I did it” - Giulio Pellizzari surprises again with sprint for second behind Van der Poel at Tirreno-Adriatico

Giulio Pellizzari continued his impressive week at Tirreno-Adriatico by sprinting to second place on Stage 4 behind Mathieu van der Poel, delivering another unexpected result in a reduced-group finish.

The Italian rider, who had already finished second earlier in the race after the decisive gravel move that saw Van der Poel and Isaac del Toro go clear, again proved one of the strongest riders in the finale after the race exploded on the steep slopes of the Tortoreto climb.

While the attacks among the general classification contenders continued in the final kilometres, the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider managed to stay calm within the elite group before launching his sprint in the closing metres.

“I don’t really know how I did it,” Pellizzari admitted afterwards in conversation with Cycling Pro Net.

The decisive phase of the stage came on the final climb, where race leader Isaac del Toro attacked after Team Visma | Lease a Bike had set a fierce pace through Matteo Jorgenson.

A small group of favourites emerged over the top of the climb, containing riders such as Van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Filippo Ganna and Primoz Roglic, with Pellizzari also holding position among the front contenders.

Rather than attacking himself, the Italian opted to sit back and recover after the brutal effort on the climb. “I stayed at the back and tried to recover after the climb,” Pellizzari explained. “Then I just focused on doing my sprint.”

Several riders attempted to break the stalemate in the closing kilometre.

Jan Christen launched the first move before Ganna accelerated shortly afterwards, forcing the rest of the group to respond.

Pellizzari instead waited for the sprint to open up, using the attacks ahead to help set up his final effort. “I came with a lot of speed in the sprint,” he said.

Although Van der Poel ultimately proved untouchable in the final acceleration, Pellizzari once again emerged as the best of the rest behind the Dutch star. “I think I actually won the sprint from the group, but Van der Poel was already ahead.”

The second-place finish also brought bonus seconds that could prove important in the general classification battle as the race continues.

Pellizzari acknowledged the significance of the time gained, even if it is still too early to know whether it will decide the outcome of the race. “I think it’s important,” he said. “But I don’t know if the GC will finish with just a few seconds between riders, so we will see.”