He doesn’t attack. He doesn’t finish. He doesn’t know how to play offensively. That was the mantra that accompanied Enric Mas, 31 years old, throughout his career, to the point that he seemed destined to take over from Raymond Poulidor, the eternal runner-up of the 60s and 70s, the one who achieved eight Tour podiums without a single victory, always in the shadow of Merckx and Anquetil. A void that, however, the Frenchman compensated with the affection of the public, always devoted to his effort. The same did not happen with Mas, who always regretted having the media against him, perhaps dissatisfied because of the excellence reached by previous generations, like Indurain, Purito, Valverde, Flecha, and Contador, who precisely named him his heir. An extra pressure that the rider found hard to digest because his record was enviable for the vast majority of the peloton — he had four podiums in the Vuelta and two top-ten in the Tour — but not so for fans who demanded a return to the path of success. “He has been mistreated,” reflected José Joaquín Rojas, sports director of Movistar during this Vuelta. A feeling widespread in the cycling world and also in Mas, who for many years was withdrawn and uncommunicative, as if questions were a nuisance rather than curiosity.
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From Movistar, concerned about that relationship, they suggested to Mas that he change his approach, that in bad times one should put on a brave face. And, diligent because he always dignified the profession with maximum professionalism, Enric appeared this year with a smile, in a good mood, already mature enough to accept criticism and understand praise. Perhaps also because he knew he was in one of his best versions, ready to repeat the podium after two years without competing for a general classification, hampered by an operation for thrombophlebitis and a hand tear after a silly fall. “I’m enjoying the suffering again,” he reflected before starting the competition, also aware that his numbers were excellent. But he was cautious because in the past Giro he was also at those figures and announced he wanted to fight for the podium only to then get lost in the limbo on the first slopes. “The result and the criticism hurt his pride,” they whisper from Movistar. And he applied himself to being the same as always, perhaps a bit better.
“This guy is crazy,” the staff said when they heard he preferred to race at 40 degrees rather than 20. But he did not change his mind. “Put heaters on the road,” he shouted already in action. And although he later backed down because the scorching sun of Andalusia wreaked havoc, inside he always thought it was the best thing that could happen to him. Although the best were his legs and up there on El Bartolo, after overcoming a stretch of sterrato, he proved it because he was able to catch Pogacar, who was already envisioning another solo victory. “He passed me like a rocket,” admitted the Slovenian, composed, in any case, to win the stage in the sprint. But that day, the team realized that Mas had returned, that words were now deeds. And it became clear when, already with the maillot rojo after Pogacar’s abandonment due to a fall, he won a stage in a Grand Tour for the second time in his career, in the Vuelta, after the one obtained in 2018, when he was beginning to emerge from anonymity. That night, the staff had a pacharán to celebrate, but beyond applause and several pats on the back, there was no more partying among the riders, focused and aware that from that day until the end they would have to work hard.
Well supported by his teammates and better represented by his legs whenever the road steepened, Mas has conveyed nothing but confidence and superiority, strong enough to respond to the few attacks from rivals, comfortable with defense and even daring, with a couple of offensives that showed there was no one like him in the race. “He has been unbeatable, every day the road went uphill, he proved to be the strongest and most solid,” acknowledges Xavier Zandio, director of Ineos. “His strength has been to grow when things went well for him. He has shown no weaknesses,” adds Joxean Fernández, Matxín, from UAE. “As he said, the maillot rojo gives wings and he has been seen calm, confident like never before, offensive and strong,” adds Juanma Gárate, from EF. “He had never been a leader, but he has shown to be in superlative form,” praises Patxi Vila, from Bora.
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A moment that has led him to win the Vuelta, the first Grand Tour by a Spaniard since 2015. Then it was Contador with the Giro, who spiced up an unprecedented palmarès with another Italian tour, three Vueltas, and two Tours. Since then, however, there was a drought. “The team demands it from me, Eusebio (Unzué, general manager of Movistar) and, above all, myself. There is no one who demands more from me and the second who pressures me the most is far from what I do to myself,” Mas replied before this Vuelta, then still very cautious, to the point that he assured he came to contribute his grain of sand rather than to look at the general classification. “Before, a lot was won with Valverde and he left a big void. That doesn’t happen in the team now. I am a different kind of rider, very different. I don’t win as much,” he expanded. Until now.
“It is the triumph of perseverance. If he has shown anything, it is consistency,” explains Zandio. “I am very happy because he is a rider who has not had it easy and who has had worse moments, but his commitment and work have never dropped, he has always fought. It is the victory of persistence,” adds Juanjo Oroz, from Kern Pharma. “We know he is a cyclist who receives a lot of criticism, but we have to be honest and say he deserves this Vuelta,” intervenes Jesús Ezquerra, from Burgos. “It is the triumph of not giving up,” concludes Matxin. It is also the explosion of Mas and, finally, the continuity of the Spanish legacy.
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