Career Upsurge Continues as Riccitello Revs up with Mountain Win

US climber Matthew Riccitello added another win to his season tally Saturday, decimating his rivals in the Tour du Jura Cycliste in the east of France.

The 24 year old drove clear just over 3km from the top of the final climb, throwing down the gauntlet on the forested ascent. He was chased hard by those behind but while they held him at a handful of seconds for several hundred meters, the gap then soared.

His surge came after Decathlon CMA CGM teammates Léo Bisiaux and Nicolas Prodhomme rode aggressively on the early part of Mont Poupet, effectively softening up the group.

“As a team we rode really well today, all of our bases covered,” Riccitello said. “I’m just happy I could finish it off. It was a big team effort and it was a good day for the team. It was good for Nicolas and Léo to be aggressive in the first part of the climb, then I knew I had good legs.”

The victory is win number three this year for the rider from Tucson, Arizona, following on from his stage and overall success in the Tour de la Provence.

He was second on Friday in the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs, another hilly French race with a summit finish.

“At 3.5km to go, after Léo accelerated, I started an attack and went as hard as I could to the finish. I thought if I got a gap I could hold it off, it wasn’t easy,” he said.

Bisiaux raced in for second, 21 seconds back, after sitting on the chaser Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) in the closing minutes.

Eyeing a breakthrough Grand Tour podium

Riccitello is amongst the most exciting of the young US talents, taking a stage plus the overall in last year’s Sibiu Tour and, better again, fifth on GC in the Vuelta a España.

He has steadily improved since turning pro in 2023, having taken 56th in that year’s Giro and 30th in the 2024 Vuelta.

Riccitello is provisionally scheduled to ride the Vuelta once again this year and will turn his attention toward that.

“I’m looking for some rest now and then focusing on the second part of the season,” he said Saturday.

Riccitello helped teammate Paul Seixas to second overall in the Volta ao Algarve. Seixas has since gone on a rampage, winning the Faun-Ardèche Classic and three stages plus the overall in Itzulia Basque Country.

The Frenchman is tipped by some to target the Tour de France, potentially opening things up for Riccitello to chase the Vuelta GC. Following his fifth overall last time around, a podium place seems within reach if he can keep his momentum building.