'I am really suffering' – Pellizzari still fighting illness at Giro

Illness has been sweeping through the Giro d'Italia peloton since the end of the first week, and one of the affected teams is Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe, including co-leader Giulio Pellizzari who lost a chunk of time to his GC rivals on stage 9. Though he reportedly got over the worst of it after the rest day, the young Italian has continued to struggle in the days since.

"Maybe if I’m in the team car, I’ll make up time. But certainly not on the bike," Pellizzari told Eurosport on Friday morning, when asked whether he could make up for the time he's lost and move up from ninth overall. "I’m still suffering, you know. I really suffered yesterday [stage 12].

"I was feeling a bit unwell on the bus after the stage, but hopefully I’m a bit more recovered today. I felt a bit dizzy yesterday, but hopefully it’s not too serious. Hopefully I make it to the finish line today without any major issues."

Today's stage 13 marks the last in a short run of transitional stages for the GC contenders before the Giro heads into the Italian Alps on stage 14. If there's any solace for Pellizzari, it's that he's not the only one feeling under the weather.

"Yes, everyone says they don’t feel well. That bothers me a bit," Pellizzari said. "I only look at myself and I can say: I am really suffering."