Despite mass protests: Riccitello celebrates victory and will head to Madrid in a white jersey with Israel on it
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Follow us on GoogleFor most of this Vuelta a España, the difference between Giulio Pellizzari and Matthew Riccitello seemed pretty clear, but just when everyone had accepted that Pellizzari would win the white jersey for best young rider in Madrid, Riccitello turned things around in stage 20. The 23-year-old American did a great job of staying with the best riders, while Pellizzari got dropped early on.
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Riccitello showed great consistency throughout the three weeks and was rewarded with a nice prize on the penultimate day. The lightweight climber had been aiming for the white jersey all along, but his awesome climb on the Bola del Mundo also took him into the top five in the GC.
It will be an eyesore for the pro-Palestinian protesters in this Vuelta, but Riccitello will go on stage in Madrid on Sunday wearing the Israel-Premier Tech jersey. The main sponsor was removed from the team's kit in the third week in the hope of reducing the number of mass protests against the situation in Gaza, but Israel was still ‘normally’ featured on Riccitello’s white jersey.
In the twentieth stage, protests against Israel-Premier Tech's participation in the Vuelta continued. However, the manner in which they were carried out had little to do with a targeted protest. People lay down on the ground as the breakaway riders and GC contenders approached them at 50 km/h. Everything went well, thanks to some skill and improvisation.
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Riccitello breaks through with top five and white jersey in the Vuelta
Riccitello will not care much that he will be standing in Madrid on Sunday with Israel on his chest because he made his breakthrough as a GC rider in the Vuelta. The fact that he moved up another place in the GC and took the white jersey was a big bonus. “The white jersey was a goal for this stage, and even if I hadn't succeeded, I could have looked back on a good Vuelta. So I had nothing to lose,” he said.
And that's how Riccitello rode, with focus and determination. When Pellizzari dropped behind the UAE Emirates-XRG pace on the steepest gradients, Riccitello smelled blood. “It was tough all day, which was good for me. Giulio had been super strong throughout the race, but today everything went perfectly. All I had to do was follow and hang on as long as possible.”
“I'm happy with how my legs felt these three weeks,” said Riccitello. It was an eye-opener because he had never even come close to the top ten in a Grand Tour before. “I'm very happy, it couldn't have gone better today. I didn't enjoy those steep sections; you just have to push as hard as you can. I definitely suffered, but after the finish you forget all the pain of the last three weeks.”
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
