Enric Mas, Ruben Guerreiro, Antonio Pedrero and Matteo Jorgenson, the four
Movistar Team climbers for the 2023
Tour de France, have already packed their bags. The last week of the Tour de France looks awful for Movistar Team.
The biggest blow was losing the leader, Enric Mas, on the first day. The team had to reconvert and put its efforts into trying to win a stage through a breakaway. The only one who came close, up to two times, was a battling Matteo Jorgenson who today also said goodbye due to physical problems.
That leaves them completely in the picture for a final week in which there were 2 mountain stages (Wednesday in Courchevel and the Vosges with the finish in Le Markstein Fellring on Saturday) perfect for the American to try again. Without him, and without Pedrero and Guerreiro, the other two climbers of the team who, although they had done nothing until their abandonment, could contribute something, things look very bad for the Spanish team.
The four remaining riders in the race have class, but it will be difficult to see them winning. Alex Aranburu holds up well in the hilly details, but he is less fast than riders with similar characteristics to him like Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel. He finished 12th in the breakaway he got into.
Gregor Mülhberger hasn't done too much so far, although he's not going badly up and should be the option in the 2 remaining hard stages to try to sneak in and fight for a win (or at least a good place that gives them UCI points).
Nelson Oliveira is a great rider, a great time trialist, who should try in the less demanding remaining stages. Finally, there is little to expect from Gorka Izagirre, who since returning to Movistar Team last year has done little more than show that the team clearly made the wrong choice by not signing his brother Ion. There is one week of racing left, we'll see if the Telefonica team is able to save the 2023 Tour de France or end up the same as in 2022.
