WorldTour
Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizari climb into the Giro top five on Blockhaus
Jai Hindley finishes third and Giulio Pellizzari fourth as the Giro’s first major mountain test reshapes the GC.
The Giro d’Italia reached its first major summit finish on Stage 7, with 244 kilometres from Formia to Blockhaus and the first real high-mountain test of this year’s race.
Jai Hindley finished third on the stage, 1:02 behind winner Jonas Vingegaard, with Giulio Pellizzari close behind in fourth. The result puts both riders inside the top five overall after the first week of racing.
The day was shaped by a long, demanding route into the Apennines, with the race ending on the slopes of Blockhaus, where the GC battle finally opened in earnest. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe were active on the lower slopes, helping to reduce the group before Visma | Lease a Bike took up the pace in the final kilometres.
When Vingegaard attacked, Pellizzari was one of the few riders able to respond immediately. The Italian followed the first move before later settling into his own rhythm on the climb. Hindley, riding with control through the final kilometres, came back strongly and sprinted to third place on the stage.
“It was a long and really hard stage,” said Pellizzari after the finish. “In the final I felt good, so I tried to follow Vingegaard when he attacked, but of course that effort cost something. Still, both Jai and I were up there today and now both of us are in the top five. We can take a lot from today for the next mountain stages. Now we recover and keep going.”
Giulio Pellizzari crossing the finish line on the Blockhaus on Giro Stage 7
© Getty Sport
Both Jai and I were up there today and now both of us are in the top five. We can take a lot from today for the next mountain stages.
Behind stage winner Vingegaard, Hindley and Pellizzari delivered a strong collective result for the team on a climb that has often played a decisive role in the Giro d’Italia.
In the general classification, while Hindley moves up to fourth overall, 4:25 down on Eulálio, while Pellizzari sits just behind him in fifth, at 4:28.
After a long first week in Bulgaria and italy, the Giro now moves deeper into the race with the team holding two strong cards in the GC battle. The next mountain stages will offer more answers, but on Blockhaus, the team showed it is firmly in the fight.
