Matthew Riccitello: Vuelta a España Protest & GC Fight

Matthew Riccitello is confirming his GC chops two weeks into this Back to Spain against a backdrop of what’s been a chaotic and controversial Spanish grand tour.

As if racing against Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida wasn’t challenging enough already, the 23-year-old is dealing with unprecedented protests aimed at the presence of his Israel-Premier Tech team in this Vuelta.

Riccitello — who starts Tuesday’s 16th stage in seventh overall at 4:53 back — says he’s focusing on his race and trying not to let the demonstrations overshadow what could be a career breakout grand tour performance.

“It’s been difficult. There’s a lot more noise around the team,” Riccitello told Velo. “It’s just made us focus more on the race. I think we’ve done a good job and that’s why we’re here, is to race.”

Israel-Premier Tech has been the target of protesters’ wrath since the Vuelta arrived in Spain.

Protesters gather at each day’s start and finish, waving Palestinian flags and brandishing signs that the team should be out of the race.

The entire Vuelta is on edgeso it’s a tough spot for riders and staffers inside the team bus.

“It’s not easy under these circumstances, but I want to focus on finishing off the race in a positive way,” Riccitello told Velo. “I’ve just been thinking about the racing.”

‘It’s challenging for everybody’

Riccitello took a video call with Velo during the Vuelta’s rest day on Monday to share his experiences through two fantastic weeks of racing.

Riders at Israel-Premier Tech are reluctant to speak too much about the tense and explosive situation, and everyone is hopeful the race can continue to Madrid without further disruption.

The team was the target of protesters during the stage 5 team time trial in Figueres after the Vuelta hit Spanish roads. Riders were left shaken on the stage after they were forced to slow down when protesters draped banners directly in front of them, but the race jury later adjusted the time.

Since then, protests have become larger and better organized. The team stopped appearing at the morning sign-in protocol, and the squad unveiled a new team kit for the remainder of the Vuelta to try to tamp down the tension.

“We have extra police and stuff like that, but now it’s something that the whole peloton has to deal with,” Riccitello said. “I had some people run alongside me on the Angliru, but mostly it’s the protesters who are trying to disrupt the whole race.

“I don’t see it so much as they’re singling us out or trying to harm us. It’s challenging for everybody, for all the riders, the race organizers.”

Everyone agrees demonstrators have the right to protest, but some push the limit when they try to disrupt the race. On Sunday, Movistar’s Javier Romo and a Soudal Quick-Step rider crashed during the stage after a protester tried to charge onto the road.

Despite relentless pressure to leave the raceincluding from some of his peers inside the peloton, Riccitello said he backs the team’s decision to stay in the Vuelta.

“I don’t think that’s the right solution,” he said. “The team put out a statement and we’re all choosing to keep racing.”

Banging shoulders with Vingegaard and Co.

Riccitello is more excited to speak about his spectacular Vuelta.

He’s avoided major crashes and first-week time splits and so far has been hanging with the Vuelta’s best climbers on the steepest mountains.

The tenacious Arizonan hung tough with the Vuelta’s best across the Pyrénées and gave up time to the top GC riders only at Valdezcaray and the mighty Angliru, where he rode his own pace to finish a solid eighth at just 1:16 back.

Riccitello isn’t pinching himself too much because he always believed he could do it.

“In the back of my mind, I always thought it would be possible to fight for a top 10 in a grand tour,” he said. “Now to be in that situation and going into the third week with good feelings, it’s just exciting and motivating.”

But to be this deep into what’s been a challenging Vuelta on all fronts reveals a stronger and more mature version of Riccitello, now in his third season in the WorldTour.

After his big splash in the 2023 Tour de l’Avenir — where he led early and eventually succumbed to Isaac del Tour to post America’s best finish in a decade with fourth — Riccitello is hitting a new high in this Vuelta.

“When I first turned pro, the goal was always to be up there fighting for the podium in grand tours,” he said. “I’m not surprised to be in this position. I’m excited and happy to be here.

“You never know if it’s going to be possible, but as cyclists, you always have to be confident in your abilities. That’s not being arrogant, but you just have to have a strong self-belief that you think you can be up there.”

That belief is carrying him far in this Vuelta through extraordinary circumstances.

Chasing the white jersey

Even as he chases a top 10 or better, there’s an important carrot at the end of the stick going into the final week — the Vuelta’s prestigious white jersey.

He’s locked in a bitter battle with Giulio Pellizzarri, the young Italian on Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, for the Vuelta’s best young rider honors. Just 32 seconds separate the two with six stages left to race.

“For sure it’s something on my mind,” Riccitello said. “The priority is just finishing as high up on GC as possible, but the white jersey is definitely something that I want.”

Pellizzarri is a formidable opponent. The Italian was sixth overall at the Giro, but lost the white jersey to Del Toro. With Red Bull riding for Jai Hindley, that could be an advantage for Riccitello.

“He is a really strong rider, so it’s not going to be easy,” Riccitello said. “The white jersey is definitely his goal as well. He’s smart, and he will definitely sacrifice to help [Jai] Hindley, but I don’t think he will empty himself completely. He wants the white jersey too.”

Expect these two to be racing off each other as they each chase their goals in week 3.

Finishing off strong before a fresh start

This season Riccitello scored his first pro wins in Europe, with a stage and the GC at the Sibiu Tour in July. His stock is on the rise.

Though he’s been linked to a move to Decathlon for 2026, Riccitello said he cannot speak about his future team yet.

“I’m still young and I feel like I have room to improve every year,” he said of his GC future. “I don’t think it’s out of reach, so I hope to keep getting better every year. If I can keep getting better every year, hopefully that puts me in a place to be up there with those guys.”

Riccitello hopes to finish off his third year with IPT on a high note and will be skipping the road worlds in Rwanda to have a season-ending hit out at the Italian fall classics.

The ideal scenario for the Vuelta’s final week?

“It’s hard to put a number on it [GC]but it would be nice to finish with the white jersey if I can,” he said. “If I can have a better third week than the first two weeks, I’ll be really happy.”

Upward and onward, the road is wide open for Riccitello.