Orgullosos de ti y de tus compañeros, en las buenas y en las malas. Una semana más por delante, @EnricMasNicolau. ¡#RodamosJuntos! 📸 @PhotoGomezSport #LaVuelta22
Enric Mas has ridden so far a very strong Vuelta a Espana, and still has his sights on the red jersey, which will only be confirmed in Madrid. Having finished the second week with a top performance, the Spaniard remains a very dangerous threat to Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic.
“Right now I am only thinking about moving up on GC,” Mas said talking to reporters on the final rest day of the race. “My rivals are also thinking the same thing. Let’s see what Eusebio Unzué tells us this week. Remco has it right in front of him. We’ve been able to take a minute out of him in the past two days. We can dream of taking back even more on days like Wednesday or Thursday. Or maybe he takes a minute on us, you never know. I am feeling good and I’m motivated.”
Mas is carrying the home country's ambitions, and although he's showing similar performance to that of last year, he is closer to the red jersey. Remco Evenepoel has put in a dominating opening week, however has been limiting losses on the second week, where both Mas and Primoz Roglic have dealt blows over the past weekend. Mas attacked the summit finish at Sierra Nevada to cross the line as the first of the GC riders, taking almost a minute on the race leader over the two stages.
Now, into the final week, where he has in the past thrived, he will have three more opportunities to attack the race with summit finishes at Monasterio de Tentudía, Alto del Piornal and Puerto de Navacerrada. Although they are not as hard as what the riders faced in the second week, the fatigue will be a key factor. Mas enters it 53 seconds behind Primoz Roglic who defeated him last year, and 2:43 minutes on Remco Evenepoel.
Evenepoel has mentioned the need for Mas and Movistar Team to score UCI points, perhaps in an attempt to psychologically influence the Spaniard to race more conservatively in the final week. On the topic of the rankings, Mas has responded: “Between the riders we never speak about it. We do notice who’s winning and how things are going. What we have to do is have a good Vuelta, and fight to be on the podium or perhaps even win it.
Both Alejandro Valverde and Alex Aranburu are said to be missing the World Championships because of the situation however, in order to race a favourable calendar for the Spanish team - in which Mas can play a crucial role with his Vuelta performance. “As far as the points are concerned, the points will come with the results. We also have riders like Cortina, Aranburu who can earn important points this week in Canada.”
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- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- MVDP dominates this sport even more than Pogaçar dominates road racing. Also he can beat Tadej on the road quite regularly, the opposite is unlikely.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If you listen to team radios you'll hear each DS telling their riders to ride faster, fight their way to the front, and all occupy the same 8 places.Sweep22-12-2024
- You're talking about a sport where equipment and clothing is measured in grams.Sweep22-12-2024
- “During a TT, I am basically blind”. That was his quote after crashing into the barriers in a TT. The problem isn’t the UCI, radios or air bags. The problem is the riders and their teams.JoeyB22-12-2024
- I think you overestimate scientific knowledge and for sure the spreading of it. There are huge numbers of people in similar situations, if there were an easy solution somebody would be making big money out of it. Nerve pain can have many complex origins or be due to complex combinations of reasons. Even if you discover a reason there is not always a solution. Migraines haven’t been solved either. I have had lower back/hip nerve pains on and off for over 30 years, no kind of doctor has ever found a way to reduce, prevent or solve the problem. It may just be that some people are born with nerves that are too short or get twisted out of position during certain movements.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- Amazing ride by her and very promising for her future. On a side note, it’s a bit worrying all these wins riders have after emotional moments in their lives, someone will come up with emotional doping at some point. Maybe give them fake news just before a big race to get hormones pumping.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- I doubt he will have the energy to do that if he continues to do leadout for Phillipsenabstractengineer22-12-2024
- I know several people who’ve tried contacting sport airbag manufacturers and none of them ever got a reply. Might be hard to organise anything with such attitudes.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- It's the BBC. Who cares outside of little Britain.leodis22-12-2024