PRESS CONFERENCE Enric Mas | Movistar leader ready to fight Pogacar, Vingegaard & Evenepoel: “I just hope that if Tadej wins the Tour, he had to work for it"

Enric Mas heads into the 2025 Tour de France full of excitement and, at least on paper, more ambitious than ever. Speaking at the pre-race press conference, attended by CiclismoAlDia, the Movistar Team leader made it clear he’s prepared to give his all in pursuit of a strong result in the general classification. Though initially hesitant, he eventually shared his objective for this year’s Tour.

“It’s a new year. Honestly, the last three Tours have left a bittersweet taste — I didn’t finish two of them, and last year I couldn’t really compete. But I was fortunate to bounce back physically and enjoy the final week. My plan is to continue as I have until now and try to be in the mix — and why not? Maybe this is the year. I always believe in myself and in the work we put in behind the scenes. I hope 2025 will be my Tour.”

“Mental preparation is absolutely essential — not just for the Tour, but throughout the season. It’s especially important in the off-season. After three years as a pro, I started to notice a big shift, particularly in recent months. I’m much calmer now. Eusebio always says that having a family brings a different kind of peace — I’ve recently become a father, and I definitely feel more settled. That’s helped me a lot. The mental side is just as important as the physical.”

“To enjoy it is to cross the finish line knowing I gave absolutely everything. To reach the end and feel like I’ve left not a single ounce of strength behind — and not because something external held me back. I want to be free to enjoy the most beautiful and important race there is.”

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“Enjoy it, learn from it, and if something doesn’t go to plan — it’s just another race, nothing more. He’s only 21, he’s got plenty of races ahead of him. I hope we can celebrate something special together at this Tour — perhaps a stage win.”

“We’re here to go for the best general classification result possible. Hopefully, as you say, we can be up there. Mentally and physically, I feel in great shape. I’ve enjoyed a strong off-season. I want this to be the Tour where I can finally put the past few years behind me. The start of the season is behind us — now everyone steps it up a level, and I hope I can do the same. I’ll give everything for a good GC result, wherever that may take me.”

“It’s clear that both Tadej and Jonas are a step ahead. I’ll focus on my own performance and see where it gets me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to respond to their attacks, but for now, my focus is solely on myself.”

“I just hope that if Tadej wins the Tour, it’s because he really had to work for it — that he had to suffer, not just stroll to victory. He’s an incredible rider, one of the greatest in history, no doubt. But I want to see a hard-fought win. There is competition. The Tour isn’t won by gaining a minute on one mountain stage — it’s about tension, crashes, wind… everything. He’s the clear favourite, of course, but it’s still 21 racing days plus two rest days.”

“To reach the finish knowing I’ve given absolutely everything — that’s it. That nothing external prevented me from doing so.”

“We’re going to focus on ourselves. Obviously, he’s a very strong rider and a serious contender. He’s shown he’s one of the best. But our job is to concentrate on our own objectives. Time will tell whether I’m capable of staying with Remco.”

“Everything has been geared towards arriving in my best possible form. I always aim to be better than in previous years. Hopefully, I can improve on that fifth place from 2020 — that would be a great goal. I just want to achieve a strong general classification result, and that’s it.”