Matthew Riccitello Wins Second GC Title | Cycling News

Matthew Riccitello pulled off a big win on Sunday, finishing alongside his main rivals on the concluding stage of the Tour of Provence and taking the final general classification win.

The Decathlon CMA CGM Team rider seized the race leader’s jersey on Saturday when he was best on the uphill finish of the Montagne de Lure, and began Sunday’s third stage with an advantage of four seconds over stage 2 runner-up Carlos Rodríguez and 20 over Brandon Smith Rivera (both Ineos Grenadiers).

All three were absent from a nine-rider breakaway which moved clear approximately 150km from the finish. That move gained close to three minutes, making Sam Oomen (Lidl-Trek) race leader on the road, but the gap tumbled towards the finish to remove the GC danger.

Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) and Daniel Årnes (Van Rysel Roubaix) leaped clear of the break with 6.2km left, with Laurance then pulling off the inspired tactic of veering the shorter way around a roundabout with just over 1km to go to gap Årnes and to nab the stage win.

The French rider raced in four seconds ahead of the breakaway, while Riccitello finished in the peloton 15 seconds back.

He conserved his four second overnight advantage over Rodríguez to triumph overall.

Building on a stirring Vuelta performance

The victory is the fourth big win of his career, and follows a stage victory plus the GC in last year’s Sibiu Cycling Tour. He also took the lesser-ranked Istrian Spring Trophy in 2022.

Just 23 years of age and starting the first of three years with the Decathlon CMA CGM Team, Tucson rider Riccitello is a specialist climber who is penciled in to ride the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and the Itzulia Basque Country this spring, plus the Vuelta a España in August.

He was a fine fifth in that grand tour last year and won the best young rider classification.

More to follow…