“The pain in my leg prevented me from pedalling” – Enric Mas reveals reason behind Tour de France abandonment

Earlier this week, Enric Mas withdrew from the 2025 Tour de France after struggling through pain in the mountains, with Movistar Team confirming the cause as phlebitis in his left leg. The condition, which made it difficult for him to move the joint and forced him to stop pedaling under pressure, brought an end to another difficult Tour for the Mallorcan.

“The pain in my leg prevented me from pedalling when I forced,” Mas said in a statement released by the team. “After the suspected diagnosis, it was right to take me out of the Tour and remedy it as soon as possible. In order to get to the next events in the best conditions.”

The team elaborated in its medical bulletin: “It confirms the suspicion of phlebitis that causes severe pain in his left leg, preventing him from moving the joint normally.”

Mas had been battling since early in the race, falling out of general classification contention quickly, echoing the frustrations of 2024, when his performance drew public criticism from Movistar general manager Eusebio Unzué.

This year, he again found himself forced to shift focus from the GC to breakaway opportunities, most notably during his solo attack on Mont Ventoux. Mas led on the lower slopes but was eventually overhauled by Ben Healy and Valentin Paret-Peintre, settling for fifth at the summit.

Hoping to build on that ride, Mas tried to get into the break again on Stage 18 over the Col du Glandon. The signs, however, were ominous. Pablo Castrillo tried to support him, but Mas quickly lost contact. On the descent and the early slopes of the Madeleine, it became clear something was wrong. Not long after, Mas abandoned.

The timing, with the Vuelta a España just a few weeks away, made the decision straightforward. Rather than risk a worsening condition, Mas opted to recover fully at home and prepare for a late-season resurgence.

Once again, the Tour ended in disappointment for a rider who once finished fifth overall and carried Spanish GC hopes. Now confirmed to be suffering from phlebitis, his immediate priority is rest and treatment. A return to form in the Vuelta remains the new target.