If there is one major tour where up-and-coming talents can make a name for themselves, it is the Vuelta a España. The 2024 edition has several young riders on the start list. Among them are Lotto-Dstny rider Lennert Van Eetvelt from Belgium and American Matthew Riccitello of Israel-Premier Tech.
Riccitello, a 22-year-old lightweight, was first introduced to the world on social media in 2020 by none other than Lance Armstrong. “I ride with the future. Mark my words and remember the name Matthew Riccitello,” Armstrong wrote to his millions of followers, sharing a photo of himself with the young climber.
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The Texan’s words seem to be coming true quickly. In 2021, Riccitello joined Axel Merckx’s team Hagen Berman Axeon and immediately won the Istrian Spring Trophy. In the fall of 2022, at just 20 years old, he signed with Israel-Premier Tech. After strong performances in the UAE Tour and the Tour of the Alps, the team decided to throw the young rider in at the deep end by entering him in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, where he impressed with his time trial on Monte Lussari last weekend.
Later that year, the Watt monster made his debut at the Tour de l’Avenir, where he performed well on the Col de la Loze and Les Karellis, putting him on course for overall victory. However, on the last stage, Italian Giulio Pellizzari and eventual winner Isaac del Toro pulled off a coup that pushed Riccitello down to fourth place. “I didn’t have the legs,” he admitted honestly after the race.
With the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de l’Avenir under his belt, the American rider was looking to take another step forward in 2024. The fact that he was given the chance to take part in such big events so early in his career was mainly due to his potential. However, Riccitello was not always the best downhill rider – partly due to his light stature – and sometimes had problems with positioning.
If he can master these aspects, he will go far with his performance. “Matthew is a great talent and one day he will be the leader of our team,” said Israel Premier Tech boss Sylvan Adams. “He chose us because he will get the opportunities here and because we believe in him.”
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Riccitello has proven in Switzerland that he can keep up with the best
2024 started a little slowly for the youngster, but after a training camp held by the team in the French Alps following the spring season, Riccitello seemed to find his momentum – much like Derek Gee. While the Canadian translated that momentum into a third place at the Critérium du Dauphiné and eventually a top-ten finish at the Tour, the American shone with a fourth place at the Tour de Suisse.
At the Tour de Suisse, Riccitello repeatedly battled against riders such as Joao Almeida, Adam Yates, Mattias Skjelmose and Enric Mas – competitors he will face again at the upcoming Vuelta. “It was really good and I’m happy with how it went in Switzerland. I dreamed of racing against these guys and that motivates me a lot for the rest of the season,” he said at the time.
Israel Premier Tech decided not to rush. The Vuelta was always the main goal and it remained so, even if the idea of taking part in the Tour was tempting. However, the Arizona native has an advantage in the Vuelta: he comes from Tucson, where temperatures can easily reach 40 degrees Celsius, similar to southern Spain.
Riccitello travelled to Andorra to make final preparations for the Vuelta, where he will be aiming for the general classification for the first time – but again without too much pressure. “We are protecting Michael Woods, George Bennett and Matthew for the general classification, but we will reassess this after nine days,” said team director Oscar Guerrero in the team’s press release. But you can bet that the 55-kilogram climber will be thinking about doing all 21 days this time, in a mountain race that perfectly suits his strengths.
