The next event on the calendar for the 22-year-old from the Marche region, the 10th anniversary Tour of the Alps, will be held from April 20th to 24th. "In 2023, this race made me realize I have a future in cycling." Italy, still without any success on the Euroregional roads, is also hoping for him.

Superstition keeps him away from declared objectives and grandiose proclamations, but that   Tour of the Alps   it's not a race like the others for   Julius Pellizzari   You can feel it right away. One week before the start of the Euro-regional event, scheduled   from April 20th to 24th   Between   Tyrol ,   South Tyrol   And   Trentino , the 22-year-old from the Marche region is training on Teide. A mountain that has long been a crucial crossroads for those who aim to shine as the road climbs. Pellizzari knows this well—and he also knows that the Tour of the Alps will determine his overall ambitions at the Giro d'Italia, because those who respond are present on the roads of the Euregio.   he usually has the legs to think big.

After his excellent third-place finish at the Tirreno-Adriatico, Pellizzari can no longer hide. Not only his team, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, who made him captain in both the #TotA and the Corsa Rosa, are counting on him, but also the Italian fans, who since his retirement   Vincenzo Nibali   they are waiting for a new protagonist capable of exciting the stage races.

The Tour of the Alps' roll of honor also bears witness to this, where Italy remains without a win. The last Italian victory dates back to the 2013 Giro del Trentino. The signature, needless to say, was that of the "Shark of the Strait," who went on to win the Giro d'Italia.

"My goal is to do very well and achieve a good result. I'm very superstitious and won't reveal my goal to you (smiles), but I really care about it."   Pellizzari's first words, which he then lets slip:   “Who was the last Italian to win the general classification?”

More than a declaration of intent, that of the boy from the Marche. The goal is the   Melinda's Green Jersey , the symbol of her leadership. This is also demonstrated by the care with which she studied the route.   "I'm researching the arrival of   Martello Valley   and I tried the last 70-80 kilometers of the queen stage, with arrival in   Trento . It's very demanding: the two long climbs in the first part of the route will be felt in the finale, where there are shorter but explosive climbs. But at that point even a short climb can make a difference."

The Tour of the Alps is an important race, always very high-level, which gives you the right answers ahead of the Giro d'Italia. I'm also very attached to it: in 2023, in one of my first professional races, the Predazzo stage made me realize I was a rider. Looking back, I may have thrown away a chance to win, but it was a crucial day for my career: that's when I realized I had a future in cycling.

Alongside Pellizzari, RedBull-BORA-hansgrohe will field riders of the calibre of   John Aleotti   And   Aleksandr Vlasov , as well as the Under 23 World Champion   Lorenzo Finn , on whom Pellizzari spends important words:   "He's really strong, very promising. I hope he can do what I did at the first Tour of the Alps – and even better."

"The opponents? They are many and all strong, from   Storer   which went very strong last year at   O'Connor   who almost won two years ago, not to mention   Derek Gee . It will be a tough matchup, but I want to be ready."

To Ben O'Connor and the top three finishers of the last edition of the Tour of the Alps – Michael Storer,   Thymen Arensman   and Derek Gee – a new opponent could be added to Pellizzari's rivals:   Egan Bernal . The Colombian champion, who first came to prominence on the roads of the Euroregion before triumphing at the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, has yet to confirm his participation.

A comparison between great stage race specialists, one that Pellizzari feels he is ready for.   "Over the winter, I worked on my strength to be more explosive, and I've improved. In modern cycling, you need to absorb sudden changes in pace to win races. And then training alongside champions like Roglic, Lipowitz, and Evenepoel gives me so much every day. I understand how far I still have to go to get to that level. And how far do you have to go? Still a little, but not much, I have to take that final step."

Without making any proclamations but with increasingly concrete ambitions, Giulio Pellizzari is presenting himself at the Tour of the Alps to see how close he is to making the leap. The answers will come from the road. Answers that could also tell us a lot about the future of Italian cycling.