Armstrong saw his potential a long time ago — Now the world is truly getting to know rising star Riccitello

If there’s one grand tour where emerging talents can make a name for themselves, it’s the Vuelta a España. The 2024 edition features several young riders on the start list. Among them is Lotto-Dstny rider Lennert Van Eetvelt from Belgium, as well as American Matthew Riccitello from Israel-Premier Tech.

Riccitello, a 22-year-old lightweight, was first introduced to the world in 2020 by none other than Lance Armstrong on social media. “Riding 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 Hagen Berman Axeon team 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 Tour of the Alps, the team decided to throw the young rider into the deep end by entering him in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, where he impressed with his time trial on Monte Lussari during the final weekend.

Later that year, the wattage monster made his debut in the Tour de l'Avenir, where he performed well on the Col de la Loze and Les Karellis, putting him on track for overall victory. However, in the final stage, Italy’s Giulio Pellizzari and eventual winner Isaac del Toro staged a coup, pushing Riccitello down to fourth place. “I didn’t have the legs,” he admitted honestly after the race.

With the Giro d’Italia and Tour de l'Avenir under his belt, the American rider aimed to take another step forward in 2024. The reason he was given the chance to race in such big events so early in his career was largely due to his potential. However, Riccitello—partly due to his light build—was not always the best descender and sometimes struggled with positioning.

If he can master these aspects, his wattage will take him far. “Matthew is a great talent, and one day he will be the leader of our team,” said Israel-Premier Tech boss Sylvan Adams. “The reason he chose us is because of the opportunities he’ll get here and the belief we have in him.”

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Riccitello proved in Switzerland that he can compete with the best

2024 started off a bit slowly for the youngster, but after a training camp the team held in the French Alps following the spring season, Riccitello— much like Derek Gee —seemed to find his wings. While the Canadian translated that momentum into a third-place finish at the Critérium du Dauphiné and ultimately a top-ten result in the Tour, the American shone with a fourth-place finish at the Tour de Suisse.

At the Tour de Suisse, Riccitello consistently battled against riders like Joao Almeida, Adam Yates, Mattias Skjelmose, and Enric Mas — competitors he’ll face again in the upcoming Vuelta. "This was really good, and I’m happy with how things went in Switzerland. I’ve dreamed of competing against those guys, and it gives me a lot of motivation for the rest of the season," he said at the time.

Israel-Premier Tech decided not to rush his progress. The Vuelta was always the main goal, and it remained so, even though the idea of participating in the Tour was tempting. The Arizona native does have one advantage heading into the Vuelta: he’s from Tucson, where temperatures, much like in southern Spain, can easily reach 40 degrees Celsius.

Riccitello headed to Andorra for final preparations for the Vuelta, where the general classification will be his goal for the first time—though, once again, without too much pressure. "We’re protecting Michael Woods, George Bennett, and Matthew for the GC, but we’ll reassess after nine days," said team director Oscar Guerrero in the team’s press release. But you can bet that the 55-kilogram climber is thinking about lasting all 21 days this time, in a mountainous race perfectly suited to his strengths.