The Alto de El Morredero delivered one of the most dramatic finales of this year’s Vuelta a España, as 21-year-old Giulio Pellizzari claimed his first professional win with a searing solo move on the final climb. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider attacked from the group of general classification contenders in the closing kilometres, holding off repeated accelerations behind to become the youngest stage winner at the race since Tadej Pogacar in 2019.
The day began aggressively with a flurry of early attacks before a 12-rider breakaway eventually gained a slim margin. Among them were Antonio Tiberi, Harold Tejada, Brandon Rivera, Madis Mihkels, Patrick Gamper, Luca Van Boven, Timo Roosen and Jonas Gregaard. They were joined shortly after by Gijs Leemreize, Joel Nicolau, Léandre Lozouet and Sergio Samitier, with Mario Aparicio in pursuit. Despite the effort, Visma | Lease a Bike kept the leash tight, rarely allowing the escape for more than two minutes.
The first climb of the day, the Paso de las Travesías, saw Nicolau crest first ahead of Samitier and Tejada, but the gap to the peloton continued to shrink under the tempo of Dylan van Baarle and Wilco Kelderman. By 20 km from the finish, the remnants of the break were being reeled in, with Samitier briefly holding out before the bunch closed him down.
Photo Credit: GettyAs the race entered Ponferrada, memories of past championships lingered, but focus quickly turned to the brutal slopes ahead. The Alto de El Morredero is 8.8 km long with an average of 9.7 per cent, its steepest ramps touching 16 per cent. The final approach was relentless, with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe setting a fierce pace that stripped the group down to just over ten riders. Felix Gall, Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss all struggled to hold the wheels, while Almeida, Vingegaard, Hindley, Pidcock and Pellizzari remained firmly in contention.
With 6 km remaining Jai Hindley was the first of the overall contenders to launch an attack, drawing out Almeida, Pidcock, Riccitello and Pellizzari. Almeida briefly led the chase, but it was Pellizzari who made the decisive move with 3.5 km to go. Accelerating hard on the steepest section, he opened daylight as Riccitello tried to respond. The American’s repeated surges brought no cooperation from the others, allowing the young Italian to extend his lead to half a minute.
Behind, Tom Pidcock jumped clear inside the final kilometre, crossing the line 16 seconds down. Hindley followed two seconds later to complete a strong day for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, while Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida trailed in close behind. Riccitello’s determination went unrewarded, though his efforts underlined his growing status in the youth classification.
For Pellizzari, this was not just his maiden win but a statement performance. Tasked initially with supporting Hindley, he instead seized the chance to ride for himself and delivered in spectacular fashion. On one of the Vuelta’s hardest climbs, he proved the strongest, earning both the stage and a place among the brightest young climbers in the peloton.
2025 Vuelta a Espana Stage 17 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
