Enric Mas is looking forward to the Tour de France 2023. The Mallorcan cyclist of Movistar Team is one of the favorites to fight for the third place on the podium and, despite his bad Critérium du Dauphiné caused by a gastric problem, he arrives excited to the race in Bilbao.
"We have a nice opportunity ahead of us, few Tour de France start with a stage as beautiful as Saturday's, hard, and racing as who says at home, plus there is little time trial, and besides short is hard, because it has a climb at the beginning and a descent," he said at the press conference prior to the presentation of the race to the media.
He joked with the fact of starting in the Basque Country and said he knows the route of the first stages very well: "It seems that we are in the Itzulia. It's an advantage to know the route of the first stages, it's something we can and will try to take advantage of, there will be days when we'll have to know how to negotiate".
In any case, the Movistar Team leader is eager to try to achieve something big in the Grande Boucle: "I'm motivated and eager, hopefully I can be on the podium".
He is clear that the favorites for the final victory are Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard and that the Spanish fans expect a lot from him, Mikel Landa and Carlos Rodríguez: "There is a great rivalry between the two of them, but hopefully we can take advantage of it. The head is very different this year, I'm really looking forward to it and the fans expect Mikel, Carlos and me to be there".
Recalling his good performance in Lombardia and the Giro dell'Emilia against Pogacar, Enric is upbeat: "I have the feeling that I can be with him (Tadej Pogacar, ed.) and one day take my chance. But if we arrive thinking they're stronger, we're already screwed...".
On the general classification and his aspirations he commented: "The Pyrenees days are important, there will be tension... Those, and a couple of days in the Pyrenees and the Alps... There are several stages marked with an 'x' and we will see how we face them. The goal is to give everything on the road, that I do not have an ounce of strength left, to arrive in Paris, hopefully on the podium, but especially satisfied with the result and the work, seeing a united team and, if possible, being on the podium. It would be the sign or the result of that good work".
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
🤳🎤✍🏼 @EnricMasNicolau y Movistar Team ya se encuentran en Euskadi para la ‘Grand Départ’ de @letour_es en Bilbao. El mallorquín atendía a los medios informativos esta mañana. A la tarde, presentación de equipos en el Museo Guggenheim.
1 Comments