"I was disappointed that they didn't want to help" - Matthew Riccitello finds sixth place in stage 17 hard to swallow
Cycling
Stage 17 of the Vuelta a Espana 2025 was won by Giulio Pellizzari. The Italian took advantage of the parsimony in the group of favorites to attack with 5 km to go. That ended up affecting Matthew Riccitello, who is fighting for the Top 5 against the day's winner, which was a hard blow to his aspirations. After the stage, he showed his anger with the rest of his rivals for not doing anything.
The stage was decided on the Alto de El Morredero. There, Pellizzari went solo without any response from anyone. Matthew Riccitello was surprised by the move, and did not go quickly to match it, even though he had the legs to do so.
That's why, speaking to the media after stage 17 of the Vuelta a España, the Israel - Premier Tech rider was first angry with himself, and then with the rest of the favorites who didn't try to jump on Giulio Pellizzari's attack.
"In the end, it's my fault that I didn't follow Pellizzari from the start. But I expected the rest of them to want to ride the stage, so I was disappointed that they didn't want to help. They didn't have much to lose, but that's cycling. It is what it is," Riccitello began.
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"I think we were pretty evenly matched with the wind. However, no one wanted to do anything, especially Jai (Hindley) when Giulio was ahead. Maybe the rest have already won too much? I'm frustrated, but I can only blame myself for not following him," added the rider from an Israel - Premier Tech that remains in the crosshairs of pro-Palestinian protests at the Vuelta a España.
Matthew Riccitello lost time in the fight for the Top 5 of La Vuelta
The chrono, a priority objective
Now comes the individual time trial in Valladolid. There, Matthew Riccitello knows that he has to cut time on Giulio Pellizzari (5th) and Felix Gall (6th). Then, at the Bola del Mundo, he will try to overtake them in the overall. But it all starts in the time trial on stage 18.
After 17 days of competition, Riccitello's gap to his two rivals is 2 seconds (behind Felix Gall) and 1 minute and 8 seconds (behind Pellizzari).
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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