Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) won Tour of the Alps 2026 stage 2 (147,5 Km from Telfs to Martell/Val Martello), ahead of Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) and Mattia Gaffuri (Team Picnic-PostNL).
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) is the new Melinda Green Jersey as leader of the General Classification.
A rising champion’s flash of class, in the stern and spectacular heart of Martell/Val Martello: Giulio Pellizzari’s talent set the Tour of the Alps alight with a stroke of class that earned him stage 2 of the Euroregional cycling event – which set off from Telfs, in Tirol – along with the leader’s symbol, the Melinda Green Jersey.
On the Südtirol/Alto Adige finish line in Martell/Val Martello, on Tuesday, April 21st, after 147.5 km and a climb-packed day – with the KOMs of Piller Höhe and Reschenpass/Passo Resia as the appetisers to the final ascent – the Italian climber of Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe came out on top in a sprint against the other protagonists of an intense, spectacular finale in which, as expected, no one could keep their cards hidden.
A statement ride that matters well beyond this Tour of the Alps. Behind him, Dutchman Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), who always thrives on this race’s climbs, and Mattia Gaffuri (Team Picnic PostNL), a standout protagonist from the very first hour. The 26-year-old Italian, on the attack from km 8 with eight other riders, held on all the way up the final climb to fight for the win into the last metres, taking a valuable third place ahead of Colombia’s Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) and Russia’s Alexandr Vlasov (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe).
Sixth place and flashes of class also from the other Italian prospect, U23 World Champion Lorenzo Finn, today an invaluable domestique for Pellizzari but with a future already written among the very best. Ground was lost, instead, by Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla), both at 19”; 1’04” for Canada’s Derek Gee (Lidl–Trek), while Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) couldn’t find the legs to stay with the best.
In the overall classification, Pellizzari leads Arensman by 4”, Gaffuri by 6”, while Vlasov and Bernal chase at 10”. Storer and O’Connor now sit 29” and 33” respectively off the leader, with Gee 1’14” back. The summit finish in Martell/Val Martello has sharpened the GC, but the Tour of the Alps is far from decided.
PELLIZZARI: “A WIN WITH A SPECIAL MEANING”
“Today’s win is special: the Tour of the Alps launched me into the pros three years ago, and winning in Martell/Val Martello carries a unique meaning for me. Today I gave more than what I had in the legs, also to deliver on the work of my team-mates, who were outstanding.”
“In Tenerife, in recent weeks, I worked on explosiveness alongside Jay Hindley, and the results are showing. Long climbs are my ideal terrain: I felt good, even if I’m not yet at my peak condition. Once I’d closed the gap to Arensman, Finn and Storer, I tried to counter, because Finn was going strong and could have been a valid alternative if they’d caught me. It was a tough day, but I’m happy it turned out the way it did.”
“This is also an important test for me in terms of leadership within the team: I feel I’m growing into that role, and into developing a winning mentality. Today I wanted to win, and I made it happen.”
“I dedicate this win to my girlfriend’s father, Stefano Casagranda (a former pro cyclist and long-time president of Veloce Club Borgo, one of the most historic and important youth cycling clubs in Trentino – ed.), who passed away in October 2025. Near here, in Meran/Merano, he won a stage of the Giro del Trentino in 1998, when I wasn’t yet born. This win is for him.”
RED BULL–BORA DICTATE IN MARTELL/VAL MARTELLO
After the roll-out from Telfs, the first part of the race played out along the Inn valley floor, where the first attacks went off in the attempt to form the break of the day. The day’s breakaway move came at km 8, when a group of nine riders – Stockwell (Bahrain Victorious), Gaffuri (Picnic PostNL), Verrando (Solution Tech), Davide Bais (Polti VisitMalta), Röber and Zangerle (Vorarlberg), Eckerstorfer, Paumann and Poschacher (Team Austria) – managed to open a gap on the rest of the peloton. Their advantage peaked at five minutes at km 63.
Behind them, the peloton’s reaction wasn’t long in coming: Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe and Tudor, the squad of 2025 winner Michael Storer, lifted the pace and progressively closed the gap on the Piller Höhe climb. Along the steady ramps of Reschenpass/Passo Resia and the following Vinschgau/Val Venosta valley floor, the breakaway’s lead dropped below two minutes.
The race finally exploded on the Martell/Val Martello final climb. One by one, the escapees were reeled in by the forcing work of INEOS Grenadiers and Tudor – all except Gaffuri, who held on with grit, riding solo at the front even as the GC battle erupted behind him.
The first to move was Thymen Arensman, followed by Storer and the young Lorenzo Finn. Sitting in at first, Pellizzari showed great condition on the steepest section of the climb, bridging up to the three counter-attackers and lifting the move. Two km from the line, the Italian climber pressed on again and caught Gaffuri at the front of the race.
Behind them, Arensman led the chase with Finn glued to his wheel and help from a strong Egan Bernal, while Storer paid for his early effort and slipped back. Under the flamme rouge, the best riders regrouped: Finn, Arensman, Bernal and Alexandr Vlasov all came back onto Pellizzari and Gaffuri.
At that point Finn sacrificed himself for his team-mate, lifting the pace and setting up the sprint. In the finale, it was Pellizzari who found the decisive kick: a powerful sprint that held off Arensman’s return and delivered on his team-mates’ work, with Gaffuri third at the end of a day as outright protagonist.
STAGE 2 (Telf – Martell/Val Martello, 147,5 Km) – STAGE CLASSIFICATION
- Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe)
- Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers)
- Mattia Gaffuri (Team Picnic-PostNL)
- Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers)
- Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe)
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
- Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe)
- Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) + 0:04
- Mattia Gaffuri (Team Picnic-PostNL) +0:06
