Riccitello Battles for White Jersey at Vuelta Amidst Protest Fallout
Madrid,Spain – American rider Matthew Riccitello remains firmly in contention for the white jersey at the Vuelta a España,despite a chaotic week marked by protests and challenging stages. The 21-year-old IPT rider is locked in a tight battle with Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull-bora-Hansgrohe, with only 32 seconds separating the two as the race enters its final week. Riccitello is also aiming for a top-10 overall finish in the general classification (GC).
Riccitello’s pursuit of the vuelta’s best young rider honors comes as he enjoys a breakout season, including his first professional wins in Europe at the Sibiu Tour in July, where he secured both a stage win and the overall GC title. While prioritizing a high GC placing,Riccitello acknowledges the meaning of the white jersey. “For sure it’s something on my mind,” he said. “The priority is just finishing as high up on GC as possible, but the white jersey is definitely something that I want.”
Pellizzari presents a formidable challenge, having finished sixth overall at the Giro d’Italia, though he lost the white jersey there to Del Toro. Riccitello believes Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s focus on Jai Hindley could potentially create an opportunity. “He is a really strong rider, so it’s not going to be easy,” Riccitello stated. “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 entirely. he wants the white jersey too.”
Looking ahead, Riccitello anticipates a competitive final week, with both he and Pellizzari racing aggressively to achieve their respective goals. He also expressed confidence in his continued development, stating, “I’m still young and I feel like I have room to improve every year. 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 has been linked to a potential move to Decathlon for 2026 but declined to comment on his future team. He will forgo the road world championships in Rwanda to focus on Italian fall classics at the end of the season, aiming to conclude his third year with IPT on a positive note.”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.”
