Enric Mas (Movistar) has expressed deep regrets that arch-rival and triple Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) had to abandon and promised that he will continue to try and put pressure on Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl) all the way to Madrid.
Following Roglic’s DNS on stage 17, Enric Mas has moved up from third to second and is now Evenepoel’s closest rival, at 2:01 overall.
At the Monasterio de Tentudia finale, the Spaniard attempted to test the water, but while fellow Spaniards and GC contenders Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) both lost a few seconds, Evenepoel was able to stay with him easily.
Having gained a spot through Roglic’s absence both before and after the stage, Mas was questioned repeatedly about the effects of the Slovenian no longer being in the race.
But Mas played down the idea that his possibilities of a strong overall performance had increased as a result of Roglic’s exit. Rather, and as has been the case from day one in this year’s Vuelta, for Mas it appears the reference point in this year's race remains himself, rather than his rivals.
“It’s true that Primoz is an aggressive rider and I think [his absence] will change the race when it comes to attacks,” Mas told the Vuelta website before the start. “But I have the same chances as before."
“We’re taking this day by day, and every day is important. Yesterday [Tuesday] we all saw Primoz crash and every day we have to stay focussed,” he added following the stage.
“For cycling, it’s not nice when somebody crashes. He’s a super rider and a super good person. I think it’s shit that Roglic is not here anymore.”
Given the power vacuum left by Roglic's absence, it was unclear if there would be any GC action on such a nominally unchallenging stage. But Movistar stepped into the breach and upped the pace at the foot of the final climb without laying down a searing increase in speed, and then Mas tested Roglic on the upper part of the ascent.
Though ineffective in practice, Mas and Movistar had at least made it clear with their acceleration that he was not going to be playing it completely conservatively in his new role as chief Evenepoel challenger. And indeed afterwards Mas even went so far as to deny that he was taking too many risks by attacking.
“I think I have a good time on the riders in third, fourth and fifth,” he reasoned. "To be honest I don’t know what we’re going to do tomorrow [Thursday]. But if we have good legs and a good feeling, and the atmosphere in the team is super good, we have to do something, no?”
Mas was realistic about the prospects of actually dropping Evenepoel on a climb as straightforward as Monasterio de Tentudia, but reasoned that there was no harm in trying.
“There really wasn’t much terrain to open up a gap. But I’m pleased with how I felt today and above all with the team. Remco is very comfortable on these kinds of slopes, but I wanted to see how he reacted, and how the rest reacted too.”
“We’ve got to keep squeezing him,” he concluded. “All the way to Madrid.”
