"It's a bitch how much time O'Connor was given" - Enric Mas gives brutal reaction to upturned Vuelta a Espana GC
Cycling
Enric Mas did not speak after the sixth stage of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, in which he lost his podium position and saw Ben O'Connor launch nearly five minutes into the lead of the race.
Speaking after stage 7 however, the Movistar Team leader gave a brutal assessment and admitted that what happened the prior day is far from good for him. "It's a bitch what happened to us because it's a lot of time, there's nothing we can do," he assesses.
On stage 7, which ended with a win for Wout van Aert, he acknowledged that it is the classic day of the Vuelta, fast, beautiful, hot and in which Marc Soler could have won but the work of Sepp Kuss prevented it. "It was a nice stage, fast, we enjoyed a nice day. We were warned, we knew it. It was a Vuelta a España stage. A final pass in Cordoba in the heat. Marc didn't win because Kuss was at his best," Mas assesses.
In the general classification today Enric Mas has gained one place and is fourth after being left out of the main group on the Florian Lipowitz climb. The Mallorcan is 5:23 behind the leader O'Connor and 24 seconds behind the third place on the podium which is currently held by the Portuguese UAE Team Emirates Joao Almeida;
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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🇪🇸 #LaVuelta24 Van Aert (TVL) se impone en la 7ª etapa de @lavuelta en Córdoba. @EnricMasNicolau concluyó sin problemas, 19º, dentro del reducido grupo de favoritos.
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