Matthew Riccitello couldn't be happier than to be at his first ever Tour de France – as the American climber puts it, "it's lived up to the hype" – but he also knows he is in his own race against time to be in absolute top condition for the mountain stages to come.
Early on stage 3, Riccitello was one of the victims of a mass crash involving a lot of different riders including Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) and double 2025 Tour stage winner Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos).
