MADRID, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain) cycle race remains finely balanced, with the two leading riders in the race both showing signs of weakness in the 17th stage on Wednesday, while Giulio Pellizzari claimed his first professional win.

The 143-kilometer stage between O Barco de Valdeorras and the Alto de Morredero in the northwest of Spain, was another short but intense stage with constantly rolling terrain, with short steep climbs draining the riders' legs ahead of the testing climb to the finish on the Alto de Morredero.

It was tough to begin with, but the day was made harder by a strong headwind for much of the stage, which prevented race organizers from setting up all the race furniture at the finish line.

The day began in an atmosphere of tension after protests against the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech team saw Tuesday's stage halted 8km from the finish line for safety reasons.

The riders had voted to continue riding, but also reserved the right to halt any stage in which they considered their safety to be threatened.

As usual a breakaway went up the road, but overall leader Jonas Vingegaard's Visma-Lease-A-Bike team kept it within reach and the climb up the Alto de Morredero boiled down to a struggle between Vingegaard, second place Joao Almeida of UAE-Team Emirates-XRG, Tom Pidcock of Q36.59 and Jai Hindley of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, with Hindley's companion, Pellizzari.

The road wound through countryside burned black by the recent wildfires that ravaged this part of Spain just two weeks ago, with Pellizzari managing to ride clear to seal the win.

Neither Vingegaard not Almeida was able to respond to the young Italian's attack, with Almeida especially slow to react. Pidcock used his finish to take second place in the stage with Hindley third, while Vingegaard took two seconds from Almeida to extend his overall lead to 50 seconds.

Thursday has a 27km time trial around the city of Valladolid which will be vital in determining the overall standings. ■