Enric Mas returns to training but is a doubt for the Vuelta a Espana

Enric Mas is in a race against time ahead of the 2025 Vuelta a España, with lingering uncertainty following a case of phlebitis in his left leg that forced his withdrawal from the Tour de France in the third week. The situation, confirmed after his abandonment on stage 18 of the Grande Boucle, has cast serious doubt over his ability to contest the general classification in his home race, a race he’s finished on the podium four times, including last year. As Diario de Navarra reports, the Movistar Team leader has responded well to treatment since July 24 and is back training on his bike, but even so, his presence in Turin on August 23 remains up in the air.

Even if Mas makes it to the start line, it’s clear he won’t be a contender for red this year. At 30 and with a freshly renewed contract until 2029, Mas had high hopes of securing a fifth podium at La Vuelta, where he’s finished second three times (2018, 2021, 2022) and third just last year. That dream now hangs by a thread.

In the days following the Tour, speculation, especially in Italian media, has intensified around whether the Mallorcan rider will ever return to Grand Tour contention. Movistar, meanwhile, must quickly pivot. The team will likely turn its focus toward stage wins, leaning on names like Pablo Castrillo, Iván Romeo, Pelayo Sánchez, Nairo Quintana, Orluis Aular, Javier Romo, and Jefferson Cepeda. Einer Rubio is also rumoured to be in the mix to complete a rare Grand Tour triplet after racing the Giro and Tour.

With no clear GC option, Movistar may face an uphill battle in a Vuelta route packed with mountain stages, stages seemingly built for a now-absent Tadej Pogacar. For a team that built its ambitions around Mas, the blow is significant. And for Mas himself, not racing the Vuelta would mark a painful turning point in what was meant to be a resurgent season.