Riccitello, Dunbar and Hamilton Crash Out of Vuelta a España

American climber Matthew Riccitello, stage 19 winner Eddie Dunbar and the Australian Chris Hamilton all had big setbacks on the final GC day of the Vuelta a España, with each crashing out of the race.

Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Hamilton (Team Picnic PostNL) both came down on the same corner with about 148km to go, prior to the day’s first classified climb.

Riccitello got back on his bike but withdrew soon afterwards. Hamilton also pulled out.

“Matthew Riccitello was forced to abandon early in the stage following a crash,” his Decathlon CMA CGM later said. “He suffers from cuts and road rash. The entire team wishes him a speedy recovery.”

Hamilton’s team confirmed his abandon but hasn’t released an update since on his injuries.

Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) was part of the big chase group behind the day’s break and was later part of the GC group, riding well with the big names in the race.

He fell at some point after that, but the circumstances of when and where is not clear.

His team confirmed to Velo that his left collarbone is fractured as a result of the fall, and will require surgery.

The withdrawals and injuries are unfortunate endings to otherwise strong Vueltas by the three riders.

Riccitello has ridden strongly in support of team leader Felix Gall but, despite that, he was still up in 14th overall starting stage 20.

Dunbar got into several breakaways as he built form following injuries earlier in the year. He then performed with flair on stage 19, sparking off the day’s big breakaway and overhauling Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) about 300 metres before the line.

It marked his first win since taking two stage victories in the 2024 race, and showed he was back to top shape after being three months off the bike with a fractured ankle.

Being injured again after such a high point is a big blow.

Hamilton was a strong eighth behind Dunbar on Friday’s stage, also showing his best form of the race. He too will rue his misfortune just when things appeared to be going well.