'Could make a difference of 6 to 8 watts'; Movistar's time trial guru sees a disadvantage for Vuelta leader Enric Mas

Enric Mas will start Wednesday's time trial at the Vuelta a España wearing the red leader's jersey. The Movistar team leader heads into the race with a comfortable lead as a bonus, but figuratively speaking, there is also a downside to wearing the leader's jersey. Ivan Velasco, Movistar’s time trial guru, explains.

Velasco is Movistar's TT guru, and commands a great deal of respect in the cycling world. At the Spanish branch of Eurosport , he gave a brief lecture on how leader’s jerseys work in Grand Tours, in this case the Vuelta.

"The fit of the time trial suit is incredibly important. With our brand—or in this case, Gobik—we spend a lot of time in the winter perfecting the fit and fabric selection for our team leaders. If you switch suits and have to wear the leader’s jersey, that’s actually quite a disadvantage,” said Velasco.

Movistar is therefore doing everything it can to minimise the damage. “Several people have already stopped by the hotel a few times to work with Enric on getting the fit as optimal as possible: tight without any wrinkles, so that no air gets in that could act like a sail and ruin the aerodynamics.”

"So everything hinges on that fit. If the suit fits well, we're talking about a minimal difference in wattage—or it might even be the same as our own suit," Velasco continues.

"But if air gets in somewhere or unexpected wrinkles form, you can easily lose 5, 6, or even 8 watts at 50 km/h. In a time trial, that can easily add up to a loss of 20 seconds—and of course, you want to avoid that at all costs.”

Mas himself has shown on several occasions in the past that he can ride a good time trial. “I’m confident. Tomorrow’s time trial is fairly flat; there aren’t many turns. We need to focus on power and position—that’s all.”

"It would be great to keep the red jersey." In particular, third-place rider Primož Roglič, who trails by 2:10, seems like a dangerous contender. Felix Gall, who is in second place, 2:06 behind, isn't usually a standout in time trials.