"No one is unbeatable" - Giulio Pellizzari is ready to take on Jonas Vingegaard at the Giro d'Italia's mountains

Giulio Pellizzari started the 2026 Giro d'Italia with the biggest chances of being the rider closest to Jonas Vingegaard in the fight for the overall classification, and on stage 2 to Veliko Tarnovo, he proved this status when he was the sole GC rider able to follow the Dane's first attack in the race.

Pellizzari won the Tour of the Alps in the run-up to the Giro, and already put on display his current form. Entering the Giro with good legs is important as the race often features a few difficult stages in the first week, and the Italian passed the first test with a perfect grade.

"I feel good, really. My legs are there. Vingegaard is going really strong, but I'm happy to have stayed close to him and held my own,” Pellizzari said in an interview with La Gazzetta della Sport. Over the rest day, the riders flew from Bulgaria to Italy and will resume the Corsa Rosa in the south, with longer and more difficult climbs beginning right away. The summit finish to Blockhaus on stage 7 will be the first real test, where Pellizzari and Vingegaard will go head to head again. "No one is unbeatable".

It will also be an important day for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, who have both Pellizzari and Jai Hindley test themselves - against the competition and each other. On paper, they enter the race as co-leaders. "As a rider, we all know how strong he is. But for me, it's the person who matters most. We're great friends, as well as teammates, even though we're seven years apart," Pellizzari says of the Australian. "We have a lot of fun together, and that's what really makes the difference. He's a special guy."

The conversation moved into the bigger picture, which is that of a Grand Tour victory ultimately in his career. At age 22, the Italian has already given plenty positive signs of being one of this generations' best; but he does not want to be attached to specific deadlines or goals.

"I'm not one for making rigid plans; I go by gut feeling. I just have to do things the right way, and then time will tell where I can get to. Today, no one can know if I'll win a Grand Tour or not,;" he argues. "And I don't know when I'll be ready, or whether it will happen this year, next year, or in five years".

However, it can't be denied that Italy's hopes now lie on his shoulders, with the home nation now not winning the Giro for 10 years. "I'll certainly do everything I can to achieve it, for myself and for Italy. But now, the only thing that matters is living in the present and figuring out, day by day, where you can get to,” he concluded.