In years gone by, the words Movistar and tactical masterclass were incompatible, polar opposites, an oxymoron even. Rightly questioned on several occasions for how they approached the biggest races and utilised their multiple leaders, on today’s stage 12 of the Vuelta a España, the Spanish team completely flipped the script, executing a perfect plan with their figurehead Enric Mas gaining time on all of his rivals and strengthening his hold on the GC leader’s red jersey.
And for Mas too, this 2026 race has been a complete reversal of his previous outcomes and experiences from the Vuelta. Always the bridesmaid, Mas is a three-time runner-up and has finished in the top six on six occasions at the Vuelta, but before this ongoing edition, he had never really looked like he would win his home race.
Even in the years when he was second best, the closest Mas ever got to the top step of the podium was in 2018, finishing 1:46 behind Simon Yates. Primož Roglič was almost five minutes ahead of him in 2021, and Remco Evenepoel too was two minutes ahead by the time they reached Madrid in 2022.
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Fittingly, Mas’ lead is now one second off his narrowest losing margin, and that is to Roglič, the rider who for years has had his number at the Vuelta.
With nine stages to go, he is in the driving seat, and 2026 becoming the year of Enric Mas is looking more and more like a reality every time the race summits a tough climb; such is his superiority going uphill as it stands.
Powered partially by the maillot rojo on his shoulders, Mas looked every bit the assured race leader he’s long threatened to become, but never quite managed, on stage 12. When the moment came on the final climb to Calar Alto to get his tactics just right, he and Movistar made no mistake, but the seeds were sown much earlier in the day.
Four climbs of increasing difficulty lining the 166km route before the finale allowed ample time for a breakaway to form on Thursday, with 30 riders eventually getting up the road after around 40km of attacking.
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With the irregularity of the gradients on the finale climb to Calar Alto, having satellite riders up the road was the best tactic for all of those hoping to make their mark in the GC, and the makeup of the 30 riders highlighted that.
Luke Tuckwell represented Roglič’s Red Bull team. Decathlon CMA CGM had Léo Bisiaux up the road to potentially help third-place Felix Gall later on, while Netcompany Ineos had two riders in Jack Haig and Axel Laurance as possible options for Oscar Onley to bridge across to and improve his fourth position. Race leader Mas’ Movistar team hadn’t missed out either, putting Pablo Castrillo and Raúl García Pierna in the move.
From here, Movistar settled into controlling the gap, which ballooned out to more than seven minutes with two of their riders unable to help, but even as the stage win went up the road, they never lost control.
Onto the second-to-last climb, they were hit with a surprise attack from former teammate Richard Carapaz towards the top of the Alto de Velefique, and with only one teammate left for Mas in the peloton.
Ivan Romeo toiled away at the front to bring him back before the summit, and by the time the descent and the final climb arrived, Castrillo was on his way back to provide sustenance and support for Mas and his only remaining domestique.
Decathlon soon took over to pace for Gall, but this is where Mas came into his own, never looking uncomfortable under the pressure applied by the French team, who have consistently looked stronger as a climbing outfit throughout this Vuelta.
Once Gall made his move, as was the case at Alto de Aitana on stage 9, Mas was more than up to the task, sitting in his wheel with Roglič the only other rider able to follow. Once again, he was in control, but there was still work to do.
The need to attack
Speaking to Cyclingnews on Wednesday, Roglič’s lead sports director at this Vuelta, Sven Vanthourenhout, had said that Mas making a move was exactly what he was expecting. And with the stage 18 time trial a week from today making the 1:18 lead he started stage 12 with seem much smaller in reality, venturing out of his comfort zone is necessary for Mas.
Having been labelled boring or perhaps been guilty of not believing he can win the biggest races in the past for his lack of attacking bravery, on this occasion, while defence of red is his main aim, the best form of that must be attack.
“Mas knows that even if it is still a nice 1:00 to 1:30 advantage on his contenders, it’s still not enough to win the Vuelta,” said Vanthourenhout. “So for sure he’s also going to try it now in that second week to take some seconds or do some moves.”
Attack he did, and with that second satellite rider García Pierna still up the road to give Mas a final assist, by the time they reached the finish line, Mas had gained 27 seconds, now with a 1:45 lead over Roglič and a 2:06 gap to Gall.
While the flat 32km race against the clock on stage 18 remains very much in favour of Roglič, those extra almost 30 seconds could prove vital before the duo of final climbing stages.
Realistically, a top-form Roglič could still bring that back, but having been hit by a driver and crashed before the race, coming good in the third is by no means certain for the four-time winner, and if anything, the opposite – a collapse – is more likely.
For Gall, who is similarly a poor time trialist, Mas won’t have much to worry about if he can maintain his climbing superiority, but it is his long-term rival who remains the biggest threat. But he has another chance to extend his lead in two days to Sierra de la Frontera, and the Mas and Movistar we saw today look almost guaranteed to try and capitalise on their current authority.
Mas may have inherited red after the misfortune of Pogačar, but he’s only done everything in his power to make it his since, and it looks like he might just win it after all. Rewind 12 months from now, and Mas at 30 seemed like he had run out of chances to put on a performance like he’s currently in the midst of – having just abandoned the Tour, severe varicose vein formations and thrombophlebitis in his left leg left him requiring surgery.
He missed last year’s Vuelta, the first since 2019 he hadn’t been a part of, but he’s returned as an Enric Mas we haven’t seen before. Perhaps he too is starting to believe, even if there’s a long way and three brutal summit finishes still to contend with, but for the moment, Mas looks more like he’ll conquer them than see his incredible run come to an end.
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