Matthew Riccitello won stage 2, the queen stage of the Tour de la Provence. On a snow-covered Montagne de Lure, add sub-zero windchill, it was close fight between the best climbers in the race. In a cold sprint to the line, the young American had that extra gear over Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos).
“With Aurelien we knew we had two cards to play on this climb. If it was a really strong headwind and a reduced sprint, Aurelien 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.”
-Matthew Riccitello
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