He finally made it. After years of claiming podium finishes in the Vuelta a España, Enric Mas (Movistar) clinched the overall victory in his home Grand Tour that he has been searching for so long on Sunday.
The 31-year-old came through the final day's racing of the Vuelta, culminating in a technical city centre circuit in Granada, without any incidents, and the decision to suspend GC times for the final nine-kilometre lap further reduced the potential for a last-minute upset.
Mas was able to maintain his overall advantage on Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) of 2:15, with Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) at 2:44, culminating a 12-day defence of the red jersey that began when he inherited the lead from Tadej Pogačar, who abandoned due to a crash and injuries on stage 8.
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A victory on the Alto de Aitana on stage 9, and gaining small amounts of time on almost every summit finish that followed, further consolidated Mas' position at the top of the classification. But arguably the pivotal moment came when Mas made a much more solid defence of his lead in the third week time trial - theoretically his weak spot - than expected, ensuring Roglič did not close the gap or gain a psychological advantage.
After that, a late attack by Gall on stage 20, the hardest of the entire race, did see Mas fall behind the Austrian on the Collado del Alguacil summit finish, but by then the overall victory was more than secure.
For Mas, at 31, taking the Vuelta a España represents the high point of his career to date and also confirms his return to the upper echelons of cycling's unofficial GC hierarchy after a serious injury last summer left him out of racing for several months. It's also Spain's first win in a Grand Tour since Alberto Contador in the 2015 Giro d'Italia and the country's first in the Vuelta since Contador in 2014, while also ending a drought in Grand Tour wins for Movistar since the Giro seven years ago with Richard Carapaz.
In a short press conference after his victory and receiving the final red jersey in Granada, Mas said he hoped to have time to celebrate such a long-sought victory, as that is normally not possible for a bike rider.
"You always have to think about what's coming up next, and now we have some very important competitions very soon," Mas said. "It's very rare that you can try to stop and enjoy the moment, and I hope to be able to do this before the next challenges."
Mas recognised that it had been a tough comeback process from his thrombophlebitis last year, and he made a special point of thanking his family, watching from the wings during his final Vuelta press conference, "as they are the people who have always been there for me."
"Thanks to all my people, I've been able to continue through the difficult moments and you've seen today that it's been worth it."
As for the race itself, Mas said that being able to track down Tadej Pogačar on the final tough climb of stage 6, the Puerto de el Bartolo, had been a critical moment psychologically, particularly as he was then able to stay with the Slovenian through to the finish line.
"That was very important, I don't recollect the time gaps, but it mattered a lot," he said.
"Of all the days in the lead, Aitana was the stage where I could win, so that was the most special day of all.
"Then yesterday [stage 20] I could have lost the Vuelta on a day as difficult as that. But I felt very confident ever since I got the jersey, and I dreamed of winning it every night since then."
For Movistar, a team with a lengthy heritage of Grand Tour success, clinching the overall victory in the Vuelta for the first time since Nairo Quintana in 2016 is a hugely significant moment, or as Mas put it, "I was looking for this win, the team needed a victory like this one, and now we've got it.
"It's a day to remember, a great day. There's always a great deal of tension on the final day about what can happen, and it was a long wait and a long way to get to today. This is a very special one."
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