“Nobody touches the brakes anymore” - Giulio Pellizzari critical of peloton attitude as mass crash takes focus away from impressive ride against Jonas Vingegaard

Giulio Pellizzari came away from Stage 2 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia with proof of his form, a near miss in the fight for victory, and a blunt assessment of the risk-taking that shaped another chaotic day in Bulgaria.

The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider was one of the few able to respond after Jonas Vingegaard attacked near the top of the Lyaskovets Monastery Pass, with Lennert Van Eetvelt also joining the move before the trio opened a dangerous gap on the run-in to Veliko Tarnovo.

For a time, it looked as if the stage would be decided between them. Instead, hesitation in the final kilometre allowed the chasers to return, with Guillermo Thomas Silva taking the stage win and Maglia Rosa for XDS Astana ahead of Florian Stork and Giulio Ciccone.

Pellizzari still finished fifth on the stage, but speaking afterwards to RAI television, he admitted the opportunity felt bigger than that. “The legs were good and seeing how the final sprint went, I think I could have had a shot at the win if we’d stayed away, but so it goes,” he said.

The sporting significance of Pellizzari’s ride was easy to miss amid the wider fallout from the day. Stage 2 was dominated by the mass crash that forced a temporary neutralisation and saw several riders taken to hospital or forced out of the race.

Yet on the final climb, Pellizzari delivered one of the most eye-catching performances of the stage. Vingegaard’s acceleration immediately split the group, with Jan Christen briefly trying to follow before fading. Pellizzari was then able to bridge across, joining the Giro favourite and Van Eetvelt in what became the decisive late move.

Asked whether he had passed an early test against Vingegaard, Pellizzari refused to overstate the result. “Yeah, I was good, the legs were good, but there’s still three weeks to go and the real climbs are still ahead of us, so we have to keep our feet on the ground and keep going day by day. We’ll try to do our best.”

It was a measured response after a ride that suggested he may already have the condition to make an impact in the general classification battle, even if the Giro’s hardest terrain is still to come.

Pellizzari was also asked about the crash that ripped through the peloton before the final climb, on wet roads that had become increasingly treacherous as the rain continued to fall.

The Italian did not single out one rider or one team, but he gave a sharp view on the wider attitude in modern racing. “Even though I’m still young, I’ve seen that cycling is changing year by year and nobody touches the brakes anymore,” Pellizzari said. “And when nobody touches the brakes, somebody falls. So it was normal.”

The crash had serious consequences. UAE Team Emirates - XRG were hit particularly hard, with Jay Vine and Marc Soler taken to hospital and Adam Yates losing more than 12 minutes. Santiago Buitrago was also forced to abandon and taken to hospital for further checks.

Pellizzari pointed to the conditions as well as the racing culture. “When it rains, it’s always slippery, so you have to be cautious. And if you want to take risks, then you fall.”

For Pellizzari, Stage 2 ended with frustration rather than victory. Even so, his ability to follow Vingegaard gave Red Bull one of the day’s clearest positives on a stage otherwise defined by crashes, neutralisation and the Giro’s first major reshuffle.