Major Win for Matthew Riccitello amid Freezing Conditions at Tour de la Provence

Young American rider Matthew Riccitello has scooped the third victory of his career on Saturday, outsprinting Carlos Rodríguez to win stage two of the Tour de la Provence and to grab the overall lead.

Riccitello showed off his climbing flair in the finale, matching Ineos Grenadiers rider Rodriguez when he surged inside 4km to go and tracking the more experienced rider from there to the summit of the Montagne de Lure.

The stakes were heightened when their teammates Brandon Smith Rivera and Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon CMA GCM Team) set off in pursuit behind, closing to nine seconds back with 1km to go.

Riccitello kept his cool and then floored it with 200 meters remaining. While Rodríguez chased all the way to the line, the 23 year old held him off by half a bike length.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” he said. “The team was perfect all day keeping me up there in good position. I am just really happy to finish it off. It is a great start with the team.”

He explained the tactics in the finale.

“With Aurélien we knew we had two cards to play on this climb. If it was a really strong headwind and a reduced sprint, Aurélien has a really fast kick. I knew he was behind, so I sat on because we had him for the sprint. It was complicated with Brandon Rivera, I know he is fast too. But we had two good options and I think we played it perfectly.

“I decided to launch the sprint early because it looked like Aurelien wasn’t going to close in the last 200 meters. I think it was the right decision.”

Tight battle ahead for the general classification

The victory was secured in freezing, windy conditions with plenty of snow close to the roadside. Recent Volta Comunitat Valenciana stage winner Andrew August was one of those driving the pace on the climb, trying to set things up for his Ineos Grenadiers team, but instead another US rider triumphed.

It is Riccitello’s first with his new Decathlon CMA CGM team and sees him seize the overall lead with one day to go.

He is four seconds clear of Rodríguez, 20 seconds ahead of Rivera and 24 in front of Paret-Peintre.

Riccitello had won two races in his career prior to Saturday’s triumph. He took stage two plus the overall classification in the Sibiu Cycling Tour last July, and is poised for another important GC win if Sunday’s stage goes well.

The 205.1km race from Rognac to Arles is far flatter, although it does include a second category climb inside the opening 51km plus a third category ascent just over 70km from the finish.

A bunch sprint seems the most likely outcome, but the Ineos Grenadiers squad will do everything possible to try to wrest the leader’s jersey off Riccitello.