“I’ve had a few strange days in terms of how I’m feeling” – Enric Mas opens up ahead of delayed 2026 return
Cycling
After more than six months away from racing, Enric Mas will finally pin on a race number again this week, marking the true start of his 2026 season. His comeback comes at the Trofeo Ses Salines as part of the Challenge Mallorca, a race held this year as a team time trial and one that carries both sporting and personal significance.
It will be the first competitive appearance for the Movistar Team leader since last summer, when his season was abruptly halted at the Tour de France due to thrombophlebitis.
The condition required surgery and a long recovery period, keeping him away from the peloton far longer than expected. Now, racing close to home, Mas is ready to begin again, even if the sensations are unfamiliar.
“I’ve had a few strange days in terms of how I’m feeling,” Mas admits to AS. “A lot of time has passed since July. I’ve been at training camps with my team-mates, but now I finally have that feeling of coming back.”
A cautious return after a long recovery
The road back has not been straightforward. Mas describes the early stages of the injury as particularly difficult, before the situation gradually became easier to manage. The surgery itself was a new experience, something he had never faced before in his career, but one he accepted as part of a necessary process.
His return in Mallorca has been carefully chosen. The short, controlled effort of a team time trial suits his current condition, even if expectations remain deliberately modest. After months spent training conservatively to protect his recovery, Mas is realistic about where he stands physically and is focused on rebuilding step by step rather than chasing immediate results.
The support around him has played a central role throughout that period. Time at home, something rare in his professional life, meant relying heavily on family and close friends. Becoming a father of two has also reshaped his perspective, although the desire to return to racing has never faded.
A new calendar and a different summer focus
Mas’s comeback also marks the beginning of a significant shift in his career planning. For the first time, he will move away from his long-established Tour de France routine. Instead, his 2026 season will be built around a Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana double, leaving the Tour out entirely.
From 2019 through to 2025, every July was defined by the Tour. This year, the summer looks very different. Mas describes the change as a deliberate search for renewed motivation after years of following the same structure.
“It’s a new challenge for me,” he says. “I’ve been doing the same calendar routine for many years, and I wanted something different, something that gives me extra motivation.”
Before the injury disrupted his momentum, Mas had shown strong form in several early-season races. The long pause that followed changed everything, forcing a reset both physically and mentally. Rather than dwell on the races he missed, his focus now is firmly on what lies ahead.
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Building towards the Giro and beyond
The immediate roadmap is already clear. After his return in Mallorca, Mas will head to the UAE Tour, followed by an altitude training camp. From there, the goal is to reach the Volta a Catalunya closer to peak condition, before turning his full attention to the Giro d’Italia.
Early-season race selection has been carefully tailored to his strengths, with an emphasis on building confidence and form rather than simply adding race days. Even the presence of other high-profile contenders at the Giro is not something occupying his thoughts right now, as Mas admits he follows little cycling news when away from the team environment.
July, traditionally dominated by the Tour de France, will instead be used to prepare for the Vuelta. While some details remain open, races like the Vuelta a Burgos are already pencilled in as part of that build-up.
The biggest unknown remains how his body will respond to the demands of a Giro and Vuelta double. Mas, however, approaches the challenge with quiet confidence, suggesting the different rhythm of the season may actually suit him better.
For now, the priority is simple. Get back into the peloton, rediscover race sensations, and allow the season to grow naturally from there. Mallorca is not about results. It is about the return.
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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- 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
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- 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
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
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