“That ‘but’ has disappeared” - Former Tour de France winner backs Enric Mas against Roglic and Gall at La Vuelta 2026
CyclingThursday, 10 September 2026 at 14:40
The 2026 Vuelta a Espana faces one of its most important moments this Thursday. Enric Mas arrives at the Stage 18 time trial as the leader of the general classification, with more than two minutes in hand over Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall, and will have to negotiate a 32-kilometre test that, on paper, clearly favours the Slovenian rider.
However, Oscar Pereiro does not expect the Movistar Team leader to lose a huge amount of time. The Tour de France winner spoke exclusively to CyclingUpToDate before the start and focused on what he considers a fundamental point: perhaps the biggest change compared with previous editions is not Roglic, but Enric Mas himself.
“Roglic’s numbers the other day on La Pandera are very similar to when he won there a couple of years ago,” Pereiro explained. From there, his conclusion is clear: “I think the one who is better than on previous occasions is Enric himself.”
The Slovenian comes into the time trial after losing ground in the latest mountain stages, but Pereiro does not believe that necessarily means he is a long way below the level of his best years. “I think Roglic is already at 100%,” he said.
The former Galician rider also highlighted the quality that the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe rider still possesses, although he pointed out that age eventually has an effect on every athlete. “Obviously, he is a rider with a huge amount of quality, but the years weigh on everyone,” he said.
The big question, therefore, is whether Enric Mas can maintain the level he has shown into the third week. “What we have to see is whether Enric is capable of maintaining this level of form, the one he has right now, or whether the final four days can become too much for him,” Pereiro explained.
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“I don’t see Enric Mas losing more than a minute, a minute and ten”
The Jerez time trial will be one of the biggest tests for Enric. Historically, the Balearic rider has suffered more against the clock than Roglic, but Pereiro believes the current context is different.
The former rider even points to the history of their head-to-head time trials to support his prediction. “The historical record says Enric has never lost more than two minutes to Roglic in a 30-kilometre time trial, with Roglic at his best and Enric not being a specialist,” he recalled.
That is why, despite acknowledging that Roglic is the favourite to win the time trial, Pereiro does not believe the red jersey is in genuine danger. “I honestly don’t see the red jersey being in danger and, more than that, I don’t see him losing more than a minute, a minute and ten,” he said.
Such a scenario would leave Enric Mas with a still very significant advantage going into the final mountain stages.
Mas is closing in on a first ever Grand Tour win
The wind could be one of the key factors
Pereiro also pointed to one factor that could have a major influence over the 32 kilometres: the wind.
At the time of the interview, conditions were beginning to change, and the former rider believes the wind direction could create differences between the two main protagonists in the general classification. “For me, the big key to this time trial could be whether the wind is a tailwind or a headwind,” he explained.
In his analysis, a headwind could favour Roglic, while tailwind conditions could be more beneficial to Enric. “If it’s a headwind, obviously that’s something in Roglic’s favour, and if it’s a tailwind, then that’s something in Enric’s favour,” he said.
Two mountain stages after Jerez
Even if Roglic were to claw back a significant amount of time, Pereiro insists the Vuelta will not be decided solely by the time trial. After Jerez there will still be two opportunities in the mountains and, so far, Enric Mas has been stronger than his main rivals whenever the road has headed uphill. “I’m really not that worried, mainly because I think that on the key mountain days, Enric has been stronger,” he said.
The Tour de France winner points out that this superiority has not been limited to one stage, but has been a constant through virtually the entire race. “Since practically the first week, he has hardly given away any seconds at any point in the race,” he explained.
That is why, even if the time trial makes the leader’s situation slightly more complicated, Pereiro sees two subsequent opportunities for Mas to demonstrate his strength again. “There are two opportunities tomorrow and the day after to show that he is still the strongest,” he said.
His final prediction is emphatic: “I’m optimistic, I’m very optimistic.”
The Enric Mas who has surprised Pereiro
Beyond the numbers, Pereiro believes there has been a much deeper transformation in the Movistar Team rider. He is not only seeing an Enric Mas in excellent physical condition, but also a different rider psychologically and competitively. “What I’m seeing is an Enric who, physically, psychologically and in terms of his attitude in the race, is an Enric I no longer recognised,” he admitted.
Pereiro even acknowledges that he himself did not include Mas among his leading candidates for overall victory before the Vuelta began. “I’m the first to admit that I didn’t have him among my picks to win the Vuelta,” he confessed.
He did expect him to be capable of making the podium, given his history in the race. But the level he has shown has exceeded Pereiro’s own expectations. “He’s the rider who is almost a safe bet to put on the podium in this race, in the Vuelta a Espana,” he explained.
The major difference is his attitude. Pereiro recalls that on previous occasions he had been critical of Enric for tending to race too conservatively.
Now he is seeing exactly the opposite. “I love this Enric. This is the Enric I was sometimes critical of for being conservative, for not taking the initiative,” he said.
“That ‘but’ has disappeared”
For Pereiro, the change can be summed up in one sentence: Enric Mas is no longer the rider followed by a “yes, but”. “Enric was always the typical one: yes, he’s good, but. That ‘but’ has disappeared,” he explained.
The reason lies in what Mas has done during this Vuelta. He has attacked from distance, tried again when his moves have been neutralised and taken responsibility for shaping the race as its leader. “We’ve seen him aggressive, we’ve seen him attacking from 11 kilometres out, we’ve seen them catch him and then he attacked again,” Pereiro recalled.
There is another element he considers particularly important: leadership. “We’ve seen a rider being the boss of the race, which was something that, at least personally, I criticised him for from time to time,” he said.
That change in attitude has completely transformed Pereiro’s perception of the Balearic rider.
“Absolutely nobody wins a Grand Tour without being the best”
The final issue put to Pereiro was the possibility of an asterisk being attached to the result because of Tadej Pogacar’s absence. His answer was emphatic: none at all. “No, no, no, not at all,” he replied.
Pereiro believes the race should be judged by what happens on the road and points out that Enric Mas had an opportunity to demonstrate his level before Pogacar abandoned. “And on top of that, we had the great luck and fortune that Pogacar crashed the following day, after Enric had shown that he was at his level,” he explained.
The Tour winner believes circumstances are an unavoidable part of cycling and Grand Tours. “Winning a Grand Tour, honestly, is very difficult. Race circumstances, someone has crashed,” he said.
That is why his conclusion is definitive: “For me, asterisks are for grammar. In professional sport, and after 21 days, I don’t think absolutely anyone wins unless they are the best.”
And right now, for Oscar Pereiro, that rider is Enric Mas. The Jerez time trial will test his lead, but the Tour winner’s analysis suggests the Balearic rider has enough of a buffer to withstand Roglic’s expected attack against the clock and reach the final stages as the leading favourite to win the 2026 Vuelta a Espana.
Jorge BorregueroWriter
Jorge Borreguero is a journalist with a degree from the Complutense University of Madrid and has been a writer for Cyclinguptodate and Ciclismoaldia since early 2023. In this role, he has played a key part in the evolution of the website, particularly as a specialist covering Movistar Team. He regularly writes race reports, analytical pieces, and in-depth features about the team, and has conducted exclusive interviews and attended multiple team presentations, providing readers with firsthand insights into one of the leading professional cycling squads.
Throughout his career, Jorge has maintained a strong focus on sports journalism, gaining experience across a variety of disciplines, including basketball and football. However, his current work is almost entirely dedicated to cycling, contributing extensively to Ciclismoaldia and its sister website Cyclinguptodate. For these platforms, he combines thorough research with detailed reporting to deliver high-quality content, ranging from race previews and results to expert analysis of teams and riders.
Jorge’s reporting is marked by accuracy, depth, and a commitment to providing readers with reliable and authoritative information. His direct engagement with teams, athletes, and events ensures that his coverage reflects firsthand knowledge and professional insight. Through his work, he has established himself as a trusted voice in professional cycling journalism, bridging the gap between the sport and its global audience while maintaining rigorous editorial standards.
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