Enric Mas had some concerns on the eve of his Giro d'Italia debut: 'Hoping it works in our favour'

He may be 31, but today Enric Mas will be lining up for his very first Giro d'Italia. The Movistar team leader — who has openly stated his intention to fight for the overall win — has endured his fair share of misfortune in recent years, as has so often been the case throughout his career. But he is back now, fully fit, and the Spanish veteran spoke to AS ahead of the start.

He described the race as "a super beautiful and special race" that he "is really looking forward to." After seven Tour de France starts and a further seven at his beloved Vuelta a España, the climber from Mallorca can finally take his turn at the Italian Grand Tour. He has Cian Uijtdebroeks to thank for that, as the Belgian's move to take on the Tour de France means there is now a different team leader for that race, freeing Mas up for Italy.

The Giro, though, comes after a less-than-ideal build-up. "It was hard to recover, but I hope my bad luck is finally behind me. I had to step back from France for at least a year, after things didn't go my way at recent Tours. It was a combination of factors that made me need a change of environment. The atmosphere in Italy is different. Let's go for it," he said.

His aim is clear: as strong a general classification result as possible, with his sights set firmly on the podium. "The work has been done to achieve a good overall result. A thousand things could still happen and we may have to switch to plan B. But that is the main plan," Mas said without hesitation.

The Spaniard, however, heads into the race with only ten race days in his legs — partly due to a crash in February. And there are further concerns: "I really struggle with the cold. In this Giro we go south first and then north. Let's hope that this week, compared to other periods of the race, works in our favour."

If he gets through the cold weather well, the podium remains the absolute end goal. "A Giro is complex and there will be a lot of competition. Some important riders have dropped out of the podium fight, but we've focused on ourselves and on how we get there. I haven't looked at the start list, and we'll see during the race who we're up against."

Mas already knows where the key opportunities lie. "The Blockhaus is a beautiful and brutal climb from the very start. The time trial is two or three days after that, and we'll try to come through that well in order to begin the final week in top shape. Stage 20 will be the hardest, with the finish at Piancavallo. After three weeks, it's the last serious day — and given what happened on that stage last year, something special could happen," he concluded.