Riccitello: "It couldn’t have gone any better"

Matthew Riccitello (Israel Premier Tech): “The white jersey was a goal going into the stage. If it didn’t happen, it had been a good Vuelta up until this point anyway. I went into the stage like I had nothing to lose. It was a really hard day all day, which I think suited me well. [Giulio] Pellizzari has been super strong all race. I think everything went perfect for me today. All I had to do was follow the wheels and hang as long as I could. I’m happy with how the legs have felt these three weeks and this last week in particular. To finish with the white jersey and 5th overall, it couldn’t have gone any better today. I’m really happy. It was a really tough last climb. When it’s that steep, it’s hard to enjoy. You just have to go as hard as you can to get up the thing. I definitely suffered a lot in the last couple of kilometres, but you cross the finish line and you forget all the suffering of the last three weeks. It was a really nice day.”