Riccitello: Top GC & Rising Star Joins Elite Company

Matthew Riccitello joined elite company in U.S. elite men’s racing history Sunday with fifth place and the best young rider’s jersey in the Back to Spain.

The rising GC prospect raced a gritty Vuelta, battling against a top field and immense pressure from protesters targeting his Israel-Premier Tech team after the Vuelta hit Spanish roads in stage 5.

Though the official post-race ceremony was canceled Sunday due to protests, the 23-year-old from Tucson was not robbed of his podium moment after teams organized an impromptu ceremony atop drink coolers and bottles of champagne late Sunday evening.

“When I started the Vuelta, the white jersey was always at the back of my mind as a potential goal, and as the race progressed, it was always within reach,” Riccitello said. “On Saturday’s last mountain stage, I just wanted to fight as hard as I could, and it worked out perfectly. Finishing with the white jersey is really special.”

Also read: Riccitello: ‘I always believed I could be here’

The turbulence beyond the race cannot diminish the scale of the achievement for the third-year pro, who is heading to budding French super team Decathlon CMA CGM on a three-year deal.

Riccitello’s breakout Vuelta underscored a strong U.S. performance, with Sepp Kuss finishing second on Saturday to bounce into seventh overall, his second-best grand tour result after winning the 2023 edition.

Matteo Jorgenson held on for 10th while sacrificing for overall winner Jonas Vingegaard for his second top 10 grand tour result of his career.

Riccitello joins elite top 5 club

A top 5 finish in a men’s grand tour remains a rare milestone for Americans racing in Europe.

Riccitello became only the 10th to reach it.

With several results from the EPO era stricken from the official record, Riccitello now joins the likes of Greg LeMond, Andrew Hampstenand Sepp kiss in an exclusive club of U.S. riders who’ve finished in the top 5 in the Vuelta, Giro d’Italia, or Tour de France.

Even more historic is his victory in the best young rider competition. The jersey was only introduced at the Vuelta in 2017, making Riccitello the first American to win it at the Spanish grand tour.

He lines up alongside LeMond, Hampsten, and Tejay van Garderen — who all won the best young rider’s prize at the Tour — as U.S. white jersey winners.

Riccitello sealed his spot in American cycling history with a gutsy ride on Saturday’s summit finale at Bola del Mundo, clawing back time on Italian Giulio Pellizzari on the brutal final ramps to move up on GC and snatch white.

It was a redemption of sorts. It was Pellizzari, along with Isaac Del Toro, who swiped the yellow jersey away from Riccitello in the final stage of the 2023 Tour de l’Avenir.

Riccitello’s future points upward. In a deal confirmed Monday, Riccitello is set to step into a GC leadership role for the French squad through 2028.

Grand tour top 5s for US elite men