Enric Mas went through the official Twitch of La Vuelta to take stock of his performance in the Spanish round, where he finished second overall after Primoz Roglic, and returning to the podium after a great lap after being second in the Spanish round in the 2018 edition.
But he did not give clues about his schedule for the remainder of the season, something that he will have to analyze with Movistar. “We still have to talk about what to do. Maybe I will run in Italy, but we have to consider the options. what is there to get well “
The Mallorcan cyclist was also self-critical analyzing what was his worst day in the race. “The only thing I wear at La Vuelta was the day in Lagos. When Egan started I didn’t go because I couldn’t, it’s not because I didn’t want to. Luckily we didn’t have to play the Vuelta with Primoz on the day of the clock because it would have taken us a lot of time. “
Mas returns to a podium in a season in which he has once again demonstrated his level after going through difficult times. “They are times. Since 2018 I have not been on the podium in a great lap but an athlete has to go through those times and learn from that. It has been a year that I have enjoyed on the bike and I hope that the next one will be like 2018 and like this one “.
The Movistar rider also confessed in what aspects he has worked to improve in this Vuelta. “We have worked to be explosive in the arrivals with hard ramps and to lose as little time as possible. The truth is that I have done well. In Lagos it was my worst day and Primoz passed us on the clock. We have to improve there. “
The runner also responded to critics who say he attacks little. “Sometimes I am a little more reserved than others and if I had too much strength, of course I would attack. But when there are days with wind or when it is silly to attack, I prefer to be calm and not waste my strength “.
But he also analyzed that he could have acted better in key days such as the Lakes or the Gamoniteiro. “We should have moved on the days of Gamoniteiro, Miguel Ángel moved and could win, and on the day of Lagos. But I had a fall the day before in Cantabria and luckily I didn’t lose more time than I lost with Primoz. If I could have gone out to the change of pace of Bernal and Roglic, I would have. And thanks to Bahrain, we didn’t waste any more time. “
The cyclist also said that he will work to improve in the stages against the clock. “We will look at the time trials with the team this winter to improve as much as possible, both me and material. I train more with the goat than before. “In addition, he believes that Pogacar and Roglic can be beaten in a great lap.” In a great lap anything can happen. We will continue working to try to beat them “
The Movistar runner also answered the question about pressure in the race. “It doesn’t affect me, from the team we don’t have any, just that we get the best we have. The pressure is on me. We are public figures to whom they can tell us things but that should not affect us. I also don’t read anything during the race. If anything what friends pass me and to laugh. I’m focused on the race. “
On the potentiometers and watts, Mas confessed that in the race he does not usually look at them but he does analyze them after the stages. “When you start, you’re on the wheel or you’re trying to win, I don’t look at them, but then I do when I get to the bus. Lately people are getting a lot of medals in Trending Peaks, it will be that we are going faster than a few years ago. “
The questions about the frightened controversy of Miguel Ángel López in the penultimate stage could not also be absent. “I don’t want to get into that issue, I have nothing to do with it. It is a decision he makes, I have nothing against him. Imanol Erviti, who has been in the team for 17 years, is the first time he has seen this. Anything can happen in cycling and you have to accept it. It is an internal matter of the team. In the end it was the last two days and only the chrono remained. It wasn’t the topic of conversation at the time. We did talk about it at night with him, but we didn’t give it more importance than it had. It was important for the team but I had to stay focused because I was playing for the podium and the team had done a great job. “
The Mallorcan also had options to fight for the stage victory in the final in Mos, although he confessed that he was more focused on not wasting time facing the general classification. “In my head was the idea of not wasting time with Jack Haig and Adam Yates, because in a chrono I could fall, puncture or have anything happen to me. I thought more about not wasting time with the favorites than about winning the stage. “
Regarding the next season, Mas has not yet defined his calendar, but he hopes it will be similar to this year: “Hopefully I will be at La Vuelta next year, it is a race that I love. The heat is good for me, I suffer less than other riders. Regarding the calendar, we have not talked about anything yet. We will meet in October. But for now I would like to repeat the calendar “
To finish, Mas made an assessment of the podium achieved in La Vuelta. “The team signed me for that, to win great laps. Last year I made two fifths, this year sixth on the Tour, but it’s not enough. If they sign you for that, you have to respond. The podium tastes good. But the team has trusted me and I have to respond. I think that after this podium everything will flow better for next season. “