“I couldn’t drop him” - Enric Mas makes blunt Giro d'Italia admission after missed stage win opportunity

Enric Mas came close to glory in stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia, but finally succumbed to the undeniable finishing speed of Jhonatan Narváez on the line on Wednesday.

After a day of hard attrition and a bold move in the mountains, the Movistar Team leader sounded resigned at not being able to finish the job in the final metres.

Aware of his limits in a tight finish against a far more explosive rider, he explained how the decisive section unfolded and his repeated efforts to drop his rival before the flat.

“I knew Narváez was faster in the sprint, but I had to try”, the Spanish rider told Eurosport after the demanding stage. Despite relentless attacks in the closing kilometres to avoid a sprint, his moves failed to stick on the final ramps against the Ecuadorian’s resistance.

“I couldn’t drop him”, he admitted with blunt honesty, adding that the close marking made any feint impossible: “It was impossible, especially when I had to open up from the front”.

This painful near-miss comes amid a tough week for Movistar at this year’s corsa rosa, with health setbacks sapping the team’s strength and blowing up key objectives.

The Mallorcan used the stage finish to outline the team’s internal struggles, revealing physical issues that have directly undercut his chances of fighting for the podium places.

“We’re going through a tough week with a virus that’s hitting all of us, and I’m out of contention for the GC”, he told the press, explaining his gap to the main favourites and the tactical shift toward chasing breakaways.

Despite the sting of settling for second, Enric Mas struck a more upbeat tone than usual looking ahead to the finale of the 2026 Giro d’Italia. Not having to fight the GC may open the door to more breakaways like today’s.