“One stage left, a four-second advantage... now we’ve reached the key moment” – Giulio Pellizzari heads to Tour of the Alps decider with victory in sight

Giulio Pellizzari will carry a slender four-second lead into the final stage of the Tour of the Alps after surviving another demanding day in the mountains, setting up a winner-takes-all decider between the race’s leading contenders.

The Italian has held the general classification lead since his breakthrough win on Stage 2, but with just seconds separating the top names, the race remains wide open heading into the final test. “There’s just one stage left, maybe the hardest one,” Pellizzari said in conversation with Cycling Pro Net after Stage 4. “I only have a four-second advantage, so you can say we’ll start tomorrow almost on equal terms, with the same chances of winning. I need to stay focused and try to do my best.”

The standings underline just how finely balanced the race has become. Pellizzari leads Thymen Arensman by four seconds, with Egan Bernal at six seconds and his own teammate Aleksandr Vlasov just two seconds further back.

Behind them, the gaps begin to stretch slightly, but not enough to remove anyone from contention. Riders such as Mattia Gaffuri, Mathys Rondel and Jakob Omrzel remain within striking distance, while a deeper group still sits under a minute from the lead. In practical terms, Pellizzari’s assessment is accurate. The race will effectively reset on the final stage.

Unlike the earlier stages, where bonus seconds and aggressive racing have shaped the classification, the final stage is expected to hinge on a decisive climb close to the finish. “Tomorrow is a completely different story,” Pellizzari explained. “There’s a really hard climb close to the finish, so the goal is to be at the front over the top of that and then try to make it to the finish.”

Pellizzari’s position at the top of the standings has not come without difficulty. The Italian admitted he expected to suffer in this race, and the opening stages have delivered exactly that. “I feel good. I knew coming here I would suffer a bit, as is normal, but I’m happy to be leading going into the penultimate stage,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll still be here tomorrow.”

Stage 4 again showed how little margin there is for error. An early split briefly left Pellizzari on the wrong side of the race, but Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe responded quickly to bring the situation back under control. “A group of about 30 riders went away on the flat,” Pellizzari said. “I have to thank the whole team for the work they did, they brought it back quite easily.”

That moment also presented an opportunity to attack, but the decision was made to hold back and focus on the bigger picture. “At that point I also felt like trying something, but in the end we decided to focus everything on tomorrow. Now we’ve reached the key moment.”

Pellizzari also provided an update on team-mate Lorenzo Finn, who abandoned earlier in the race. “He’s good. I spoke to him yesterday, he’s calm and he’ll be back soon.”

Reflecting on the race as a whole, Pellizzari underlined just how demanding the Tour of the Alps has been. “It’s hard, as always in these areas. It’s difficult to find an easy stage here. Tomorrow will be exciting for the fans because it’s a decisive stage. Hopefully everything goes well.”

Beyond the numbers, the context adds further weight to the situation. It has been over a decade since an Italian last won this race, and Pellizzari now stands on the brink of ending that run.

At the same time, the presence of multiple rivals within seconds ensures there will be no room for caution. Thymen Arensman and Egan Bernal in particular have shown consistency throughout the week, while Aleksandr Vlasov offers Red Bull a second option close to the top of the standings.

With just four seconds in hand and the hardest stage still to come, Pellizzari’s advantage may be slim but with one day left, victory remains firmly within reach.