"Some days he’ll take minutes from us, and on others..." - Enric Mas analyzes chances to score at Pogacar-controlled Vuelta
CyclingFriday, 21 August 2026 at 06:00
Enric Mas heads into another Vuelta a España with a measured message, focused on rediscovering feelings rather than big promises. The Movistar Team rider, one of the squad’s key cards for the race alongside Cian Uijtdebroeks, admits he reaches the Monaco start needing to reconnect with his best version.
“I have to take it day by day. A good Vuelta would be to finish better than I am now, for the form to grow a bit, and little by little find the Enric from the start of last season,” the Balearic rider explains before the Spanish Grand Tour begins.
Mas does not want to set a concrete general classification target from day one. The Movistar Team rider believes the race itself will dictate how far he can go and prefers to first see how his body responds over the opening stages.
“It’s been two years since I fought for a GC. After a few days I’ll draw conclusions,” he notes. It marks a shift from other editions where he arrived at La Vuelta under pressure to fight for the podium. Historically, the Spanish race has been his best stage, with several podium finishes on his palmarès.
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One of this Vuelta’s big storylines is the presence of Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian returns to the race for the first time since 2019 and starts as the outstanding favourite after a year in which he has already shown extraordinary dominance.
Pogacar will shape the race
Mas is well aware that the presence of the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader could completely reshape the race dynamic.
“It’s clear Pogacar is the best, a rider of an era who will be the best in history. His presence shapes everything and he’ll do what he wants. UAE will control. We’ll see what he intends to do, and then we’ll focus on ourselves,” says the Mallorcan.
Enric Mas at the 2026 Giro d'Italia
The Movistar leader understands it will be virtually impossible to build a race plan solely around the Slovenian. Instead, he backs adapting to circumstances and seizing any opportunity that arises.
“Some days he’ll take minutes from us, and on others we have to be ready to play our cards for stage wins,” he adds.
Enric Mas and Cian Uijtdebroeks lead the GC ambitions
Movistar Team will tackle the race with a line-up built to be present on all terrains. Mas highlights the depth of a roster that also includes riders capable of contesting fast finishes and time trials.
“I’ve achieved my best results at the Vuelta. We arrive with a strong team; we have riders for all terrains, for sprints, for the time trials,” he explains.
“For the GC, it’s Cian Uijtdebroeks and me,” Mas confirms, unwilling to assume the sole leadership role from the start. The strategy will depend on both riders’ sensations and on how the race unfolds.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Your TDS is wasted on me more-on ! I'd be first in line to wish that fat orange haired dipwad DEAD !frieders321-08-2026
- Oh I have better but I'm sure this site wouldn't like it! Go back to your Pogi shrine and light some candles !frieders321-08-2026
- You're the MOUSE !frieders321-08-2026
- I wonder if part of his retirement is due to new signings and him wanting to make rum for a new rider.Colnago-fan21-08-2026
- Contador tested positive for doping, which devalues his words to 0.abstractengineer21-08-2026
- I would expect him to try for red jersey start to finish, just to make it interesting - since it's obvious he's going to win barring crash or sickness. Or do the whole thing holding his breath, or riding no hands. It'll be stupifyingly boring if he wraps up the GC inside the first week but hopefully the rest of the contenders can fight it out like he isn't there and make it feel like something unexpected could happen. I'd like to see Gall on the podium for the second time this year.wrsty21-08-2026
- Hardly surprising, but still pretty grim to have fallen off so hard you can't even face finishing the current season.wrsty21-08-2026
- what do you think could be that is rotten? the team recruits new guys, they seem to have had a ton of bad luck. they still won a GT, several one week tours, a monument and lots of classics this year.mij21-08-2026
- Theres obvious somethnig very rotten going on at Visma now. I agree with Cort here andIve heard alot of people say the same Jonas should leave Visma for UNO-X. Think it would do him alot of good for his career.miguel20-08-2026
- yes thats a huge part of their problem but nevertheless is the case too so yeah it is what it is kinda thing. They need money or its gonne just get worse i thinkmiguel20-08-2026
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