"I can't say I rode a bad race, but it's far from good, I came for the podium" - Enric Mas accepts defeat

After finishing second three times in the final classification of the Vuelta a España, a sixth place this year is quite disappointing, as Enric Mas himself acknowledges in an interview with Esciclismo after the twentieth stage.

Although there is another stage to Madrid on Sunday, the balance is often drawn up on the penultimate day of a grand tour. "I can't say I rode a bad race, but it's far from good," concludes last year's number two. "I came for the podium and finished sixth."

Ultimately, Mas was unable to cope with the unprecedented superiority of Jumbo-Visma. The Dutch team will take the overall victory with Sepp Kuss, and will also claim second and third place with Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic. "Kuss took two minutes in the stage to Javalambre. Then they could play the game with three trump cards," says Mas, who thinks Kuss is a great winner. "I like him."

Although Mas says he is tired, his season is not over yet. "I'm still going to ride the Italian classics and I want to enjoy that." Last year, Mas came out very strong in the Italian races after the Vuelta. He won the Giro dell'Emilia and finished second in the Giro di Lombardia.