Enric Mas has bad memories of Calar Alto, and Valverde fears one rider in particular: 'He still fights for everything'

Enric Mas has had another day in the red at the Vuelta a España. After the rest day, it was fairly straightforward for the Spaniard from Movistar to finish in the top ranks in the last two stages, but a major test awaits him on Thursday. It’s on terrain where he’s faltered in the past. National team coach Alejandro Valverde, at any rate, is wary of what he sees as a major challenger.

Mas didn't lose any time in the last two stages, which were designed for the fast riders. There were fears of echelons forming in the eleventh stage, but after a few skirmishes, calm was restored. “The organisers had designed today’s stage with this in mind,” says Mas, who isn’t a fan of echelons. “The weather here is always something—the wind was strong enough. But we made it to the finish in one piece.”

Another grueling mountain stage awaits on Thursday. The stage to Calar Alto features nearly 4,500 meters of elevation gain and ends with an uphill finish: Expect a fierce battle for the red jersey. Upon hearing the name of the final climb, Mas lets out a sigh, because he has already finished here once—during his debut in a Grand Tour. Back then, things didn’t go well at all for the Spaniard.

"I have some really bad memories of this place, because I was really sick that day," he says. "I joked about it with my masseur, Juan José Lobato, because we were riding together at the time. He's a sprinter, and I'm usually a better climber. But we rode together that day, and he still laughs about it.” Mas finished 115th that day, nearly half an hour behind winner Miguel Ángel López. “I hope I can enjoy the climb, and I hope I’m still wearing the leader’s jersey after the stage.”

His lead over his closest rival is 1.18 minutes. The current second-place rider is Primož Roglič. The four-time Vuelta champion has some ground to make up, but his teammate Finn Fisher-Black has already predicted fireworks in the final week. Alejandro Valverde, Mas’s former teammate and the coach of the Spanish national team, also fears the strong Slovenian.

"For me, Enric is currently the favorite, but we can't get overconfident," he tells EsCiclismo. "We know who Roglic is. It’s clear that he may not be the same Roglic he used to be, but he still fights for everything, and we still have a stage ahead of us where he can make up time—namely, the time trial in the third week."

Stage 18 features a 32-kilometer time trial. It’s right up the Tokyo Olympic champion’s alley, but it’s the red jersey wearer’s Achilles’ heel. Still, there’s a lot of climbing left to do. “In that scenario, Enric is currently a bit better than the others,” Valverde observes. “He’s showing that he’s in top form. Mas and Roglic are currently battling for the red jersey, and then there are the others.”