![\"Giulio](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/giulio-pellizzari-69e8b8fe08f77.jpg@webp.webp\")
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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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s assessment is accurate. The race will effectively reset on the final stage.<\/p>\n
A race that will be decided on the climb<\/p>\n
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. \u201cTomorrow is a completely different story,\u201d Pellizzari explained. \u201cThere\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pellizzari\u2019s 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. \u201cI feel good. I knew coming here I would suffer a bit, as is normal, but I\u2019m happy to be leading going into the penultimate stage,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully I\u2019ll still be here tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Giulio Pellizzari won stage 2 of the 2026 Tour of the Alps<\/p>\n
Team support and key decisionsStage 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<\/a> responded quickly to bring the situation back under control. \u201cA group of about 30 riders went away on the flat,\u201d Pellizzari said. \u201cI have to thank the whole team for the work they did, they brought it back quite easily.\u201d<\/p>\n That moment also presented an opportunity to attack, but the decision was made to hold back and focus on the bigger picture. \u201cAt that point I also felt like trying something, but in the end we decided to focus everything on tomorrow. Now we\u2019ve reached the key moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Pellizzari also provided an update on team-mate Lorenzo Finn, who abandoned earlier in the race. \u201cHe\u2019s good. I spoke to him yesterday, he\u2019s calm and he\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n