Despite mass protests: Riccitello celebrates victory and will head to Madrid in a white jersey with Israel on it

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.

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.”