Enric Mas has had a very consistent start to the season and this past week at Tirreno-Adriatico he was kicking off his World Tour competition for what is an important season. He abandoned the race before the start of stage seven, the final day, as effects of his crash on the race's queen stage the previous day.
After having start his season on home roads in Mallorca, where he played a crucial support role for Alejandro Valverde who won the Trofeo Pollença, Enric Mas had returned to mainland Europe where he would start his season as Movistar's sole Grand Tour leader. A fourth place at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana proved he started off the season well, however after a month of training it was unsure how he would return at Tirreno-Adriatico.
What he found was strong form and consistency. Throughout the week he resisted the attacks in Bellante and Fermo to keep his overall ambitions, and at stage six into Carpegna is where he could climb up the ranks and he was about to do so, culminating the final ascent in the group that set off in chase of Tadej Pogacar, containing Jonas Vingegaard, Mikel Landa and Richie Porte. His luck had came to an end though as he crashed on a wet patch in the very technical descent off the mountain. Although he got back on the bike, he went on to finish the stage in 21st place and the following day he decided with the team that it was not worth it to take to the start, having shown wounds and trauma in his left hips, shoulder, elbow and ankle.
Last year's Vuelta a España runner-up will now take some time to rest before returning to competition at the Itzulia Basque Country in early April, before a tilt at the Ardennes classics later in the month.
Con el fin de acelerar su recuperación tras los golpes sufridos este sábado, @EnricMasNicolau concluye su participación en #TirrenoAdriatico. No sale en la 7ª etapa. Looking to recover from Saturday’s crash, Enric Mas puts an end to his @TirrenAdriatico appearance. DNS on st. 7.
