Spaniard leaves Deceuninck-QuickStep to replace Landa and Quintana
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Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors) on the Vuelta podium for best young rider(Image credit: Getty Images)
Enric Mas helping Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) during stage 20 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Egan Bernal and Enric Mas chat before the start of stage 12(Image credit: Getty Images)
Enric Mas sits next to Elia Viviani(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) gave his all to try to keep the yellow jersey(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Movistar have confirmed that Enric Mas will leave Deceuninck-QuickStep to join the Spanish WorldTour squad and become their Grand Tour leader for the next three years. The 24-year-old from Mallorca finished second overall in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana and is considered Spain’s most promising rider for future Grand Tours.
Mas will replace Mikel Landa, who has already confirmed he will move to Bahrain-Merida in 2020, Giro d’Italia winner Richard Carapaz, who is set to join Team Ineos, and Nairo Quintana, who is widely expected to move to French Professional Continental team Arkea Samsic. Mas will share leadership at Movistar with fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, with Marc Soler also expected to have a bigger leadership role.
Mas raced as an amateur with the Fundación Contador team and then stepped up to WorldTour level in 2017 with QuickStep.
He won a stage at the 2018 Itzulia Basque Country and confirmed his stage race talents at the 2018 Vuelta a Espana, where he won the mountain stage to Collada De La Gallina in Andorra. He went on to finish 1:46 down on Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) in the final overall classification.
Deceuninck-QuickStep have opted to invest in Alaphilippe, extending his contract until the end of 2021, and have let several big-name riders move on. Elia Viviani has already confirmed he will ride for Cofidis in 2020, with Philippe Gilbert expected to move to Belgian rivals Lotto Soudal.
