Milan, Sept. 10 (LaPresse) – A magnificent Giulio Pellizzari won the 17th stage of the Vuelta a España, the O Barco de Valdeorras-Alto de El Morredero, 143.2 km with a summit finish. The Italian from Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe attacked about 4 km from the end, distancing all the top contenders who were left at the front on the last climb of the day. Pellizzari crossed the finish line with his arms raised, ahead by +0.16" of Britain’s Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and by +0.18" of Australia’s Jay Hindley (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe). For the 21-year-old Italian rider, this is his first career victory as a professional in a UCI World Tour race. It is also the first Italian victory in this edition of the Vuelta. Norwegian Jonas Vingegaard, of Team Visma Lease a Bike, keeps the leader’s red jersey after finishing fourth today, +0.20" behind Pellizzari. The Scandinavian now has a +0.50" advantage over Portuguese Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and 2'28" over Pidcock. Pellizzari is fifth at 3'51". After yesterday’s pro-Pal protest, which forced the 16th stage to be neutralized 8 km from the finish, today there were no attempts to interrupt the race and everything went as planned.
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