In an exciting race, Jørgen Nordhagen attacked on Passo del Pura but was eventually caught on the final climb by Giulio Pellizzari and Aaron Dockx in Stage 2 of Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia. Dockx wonhe sprint finish whilst Tour de l’Avenir winner Pablo Torres finished 33 seconds behind.
The UCI 2.2 category race brought together a strong field, featuring Tour de l’Avenir winner Pablo Torres, Jørgen Nordhagen (who missed the Avenir due to budget constraints of the Norwegian federation), and Giulio Pellizzari, who recently signed a contract with Red Bull – Bora Hangrohe until 2027, among other exciting climbing talents.
Before the decisive climb up Passo del Pura (10.3 km, 8.15%), the race in the peloton was relatively calm. Pellizzari expended 2,461 kilojoules over 2:43 hours, averaging 14.01 kj/kg/h. Despite the rain, the temperature on the climb was a moderate 21°C.
The UAE Emirates Gen Z team set a strong pace, leading out their climber Pablo Torres at the start of the climb. Despite the presence of multiple riders from the Visma Lease a Bike development team in his wheel, Torres pulled hard, significantly reducing the lead group. Pellizzari initially dropped early on the climb, but wisely paced himself to remain in contention. With about half of the climb remaining, Nordhagen launched a fierce attack that no one could respond to, causing Torres to slow down. Eventually, Pellizzari rejoined the group and continued his push towards the summit.
Nordhagen delivered an impressive climbing performance, pushing 6.20 ᵉW/Kg for 29:30 minutes. Pellizzari lost 25 seconds, averaging 6.09 ᵉW/Kg. Nordhagen’s performance surpassed his previous effort at Tour Alsace on La Planche des Belles Filles, where he pushed 6.41 ᵉW/Kg for 17:05 minutes. While the exact climbing times of Pablo Torres and Aaron Dockx are unknown due to no television images, estimates suggest they might have performed around 5.95 – 6.00 ᵉW/Kg, with Dockx likely being faster due to drafting more than Torres.
Nordhagen remained the race leader after a tricky descent and seemed poised to win, but Pellizzari caught the Norwegian near the final stretch, and just before the finish, Dockx joined the leading group. The 20-year-old Belgian convincingly won the sprint against Nordhagen and Pellizzari. Torres, the youngest rider in the Top 10, finished 33 seconds behind Dockx, not matching his Tour de l’Avenir form at Karellis or Finestre. Richard Riška, born on December 27, 2005, finished 13th on this challenging stage and would still be in the junior category if born a few days later. This performance by the ATT Investment rider might attract interest from World Tour development teams.
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And Paul Seixas would cook them all
In werkelijkheid arriveerde Torres na een welverdiende vakantie en toch… op de tweede dag in de bergen was de Spanjaard al even sterk als Nordhagen en Pelizzari. Als de race ooit nog een bergetappe van enige omvang kent… een opeenstapeling van inspanningen… zou de sterkste opnieuw Torres zijn: hij is licht maar zeer resistent en zijn herstel is het meest verbazingwekkende dat ik heb gezien in mijn vele jaren kijken fietsen