“He was missing that thing great riders need to get results" - Jubilant Eusebio Unzué on emotional Vuelta a Espana win and what changed for Enric Mas
CyclingSunday, 13 September 2026 at 21:11
Enric Mas’s victory at the Vuelta a España 2026 meant far more than a win for Movistar Team. For Eusebio Unzué, the head of the squad, the success crowns a process in which the Balearic rider has rebuilt his confidence and, in his sporting maturity, proved he could still deliver his best version.
Unzué looked back to recall when Mas’s momentum began to shift during the race. The turning point, in his view, came on that stage to Castellón where the Movistar Team rider already showed he could trade blows with the best.
“This morning I told them we’ve lived this experience many years ago and several times, but how sweet this process feels,” Unzué explained, before pausing at the moment he deems decisive: “It was from that stage to Castellón where Enric already showed his great level, being the only one who could be with Tadej Pogacar and reach the finish with him.”
The progression did not stop there. For the Navarrese manager, every new test Mas faced during La Vuelta helped reinforce a confidence he had long been chasing.
“What he managed the day after the crash, each test has come back with top marks, especially his confidence,” noted Unzué. Confidence that, in his view, ultimately proved decisive in explaining the Balearic’s performance during the race.
A team worthy of its leader
Mas’s triumph also highlighted Movistar Team’s collective work. Unzué placed particular value on the performance of the sports directors and the strategic calls made over the three weeks of racing.
“The team, with the directors in strategic decisions, have been impeccable,” he stressed.
Enric Mas’s victory, therefore, cannot be understood solely through individual performance. In this Vuelta, Movistar Team found a structure capable of backing its leader while helping a young generation grow by gaining experience in service of a larger goal. For Unzué, that learning may be one of the race’s major legacies.
The confidence Enric Mas was missing
In recent years, Enric Mas has lived under heavy expectations. His breakthrough into the professional ranks created high hopes, and his subsequent results did not always match those ambitions. However, Unzué believes it would be unfair to reduce his trajectory to a lack of wins.
“I don’t think people have been unfair,” he said. “He had a very attractive debut, he had the ability to inspire, people waited a long time, results didn’t come, but there was a reason he’d taken four podiums.”
Enric Mas, winner of La Vuelta 2026
The issue, according to the Movistar Team boss, was not so much the rider’s physical qualities as something harder to measure: confidence.
“He was missing that thing great riders need to get results: his confidence,” he explained. Now, by contrast, Unzué believes Mas has reached a point of maturity that has allowed him to race differently. The change in season planning, opting for the Giro d’Italia instead of the Tour de France and targeting the Vuelta a España, also played a key role.
“Now, in his maturity, this switch to the Giro instead of the Tour and then La Vuelta has brought back the best Enric at La Vuelta,” he said.
A mental leap that lifts the team
Beyond the victory, Unzué is left with the rider’s mental transformation. He believes Mas has gained self-belief, and that evolution has had a direct effect on his teammates. “The important thing is how he has grown mentally, the confidence in himself,” he pointed out.
That shift also allowed the team’s youngsters to step up. Racing for 15 days around a leader with a real chance to win La Vuelta has given them invaluable experience.
“Also giving this group of young riders, who have made a leap, the chance to be with a great leader and defend the jersey for 15 days,” Unzué explained.
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The image Movistar Team leaves after the Vuelta a España 2026 is that of a project that has found a solid reference point while helping those who must shape its future to grow.
For Unzué, the headline is not only that Enric Mas has won La Vuelta. It is that the rider who raised his arms in 2026 seems to have recovered something he had been chasing for years: the certainty that he can again be among the very best.
And the Movistar Team manager is already looking ahead. “I hope in the rest of the season that remains” this version of Enric Mas holds, because after this Vuelta the feeling inside the team is that the Balearic has not hit a ceiling, but has just shown how far he can go when confidence matches talent.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- Who cares if Mas or Roglič or Gall or anyone else won this boring Vuelta. I see comments on this site, after Pogi crashed, went down at least 25%. Pogi haters and other fools on this site won't admit it. While they celebrated Pogi's crash and saying the Vuelta was "exciting again," the reality is that the second and third weeks of the Vuelta attracted far fewer viewers. David Bavin-HobbsIn on PRO CYCLING: "A cycling world that has been dominated for years by Pogačar and UAE Emirates-XRG—and in a world where people talk about the sport being “boring,” “monotonous,” and “unexciting”—the Slovenian’s withdrawal provided a very enlightening insight. For although Pogacar had the Vuelta firmly in his grasp, far more people were watching when he was in the race versus after his departure. The statistics website Procyclingstats shared a rather bizarre graph showing the sharp drop in visitor numbers since Pogacar was forced to withdraw. In recent years, there had always been an increase in unique visitors during the first and second weeks of the Vuelta. However, Pogacar’s withdrawal resulted in a 15 percent drop."PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- Praying for a Pidcock win, but I think the aero bullet has this in the bag.anonymouscyclist13-09-2026
- Don’t get drawn into it. This is exactly what Mou wants. It’s easy to spot his accounts from the moment he comments from a new username. I prefer discussing cycling with actual fans, that’s why we’re here after all.anonymouscyclist13-09-2026
- It's supposed to be a procession till the finishing circuit. Riders like Thibau Nys or Richard Carapaz won't wait for the final climb. There's Brennan to get rid of, then van Aert
Rafionain-Glas13-09-2026 - You have no idea? Just ask Mou.PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- The cyborg, being present in Canada to support his fiancée, is great news for the human race.
vannpelt13-09-2026 - True, but Pogi haters and other fools on this site won't admit it. While they celebrated Pogi's crash and saying the Vuelta was "exciting again," the reality is that the second and third weeks of the Vuelta attracted far fewer viewers. By David Bavin-HobbsIn on PRO CYCLING: A cycling world that has been dominated for years by Pogačar and UAE Emirates-XRG—and in a world where people talk about the sport being “boring,” “monotonous,” and “unexciting”—the Slovenian’s withdrawal provided a very enlightening insight. For although Pogacar had the Vuelta firmly in his grasp, far more people were watching when he was in the race versus after his departure. The statistics website Procyclingstats shared a rather bizarre graph showing the sharp drop in visitor numbers since Pogacar was forced to withdraw. In recent years, there had always been an increase in unique visitors during the first and second weeks of the Vuelta. However, Pogacar’s withdrawal resulted in a 15 percent drop.PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- Tell your orange maga orangutan president to give you a better life. Capish?PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- Urška Žigart, who was third overall, crashed in the third stage, 27 km left, and abandoned the race. She has suffered another broken jaw, which likely also means the end of her season.PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- It is confusing, but my guess is that they expect it to be a procession until the last lap, by tacit agreement of the peloton.Hills3313-09-2026
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