In 2022, especially in the first half of the year, Movistar saw the danger of relegation up close, of losing the World Tour category for the first time in its long history. It was a concern that became more acute after the Tour de France, where they were unable to score points with their main rider, Enric Mas, not being able to complete the race. Eusebio Unzué spoke about this precisely in the presentation of the fourth season of ‘El día menos pensada’, which reviews the team’s last campaign from the inside with all kinds of details… including this fight to remain in the elite of the cycling: “I hate the word points. She had a very starring role among us the previous season. We wanted all the runners to be aware of what we were playing for”, the Navarrese sighed, recalling moments from the aforementioned 2022.
“With Enric Mas we had a painful situation. When you see your fundamental pillar fall…”, lamented the Navarrese, before the spectacular resurgence of the Spaniard in the final stretch. Except for isolated moments, Eusebio saw how the public sided with the team, partly influenced by the documentary: “People appreciate the sincerity. They feel closer to us. We thought at the beginning that it might not be positive, but it was a plus for the whole team.”. In August he changed the course of the team, starting with Enric Mas himself and his second place in La Vuelta. In this 2023, Movistar continues with that good inertia, adding six victories and several places of honor. “I see Enric motivated, he can do beautiful things. There are better rivals in theory, but they are not robots, they can fail, especially in the 21-day races, so you have to aim for everything ”, Valverde told about what was his roommate.
Regarding the challenges of his star runner, Eusebio Unzué shows ambition: “The podium in the Tour de France? It is not an impossible goal. Last year he proved to be a growing man after all the misery he went through. There is a group of five or six freaks, and Enric is the closest to them. The fact that Valverde is no longer there will also have a positive part for him in that sense, because he will have the real responsibility of leading the team and revealing the enormous quality he has”added Eusebio. And with all this, is it important to arrive at the Tour having won a stage or race before? “Everything helps, especially in terms of confidence, but that Enric’s sensations are good before the Tour is what is really important”.