Mas aiming for the podium, but team boss Unzué has a different goal: "A Tour like the old days"

Mas is back at the Tour, where he finished fifth overall in 2020. Winning the whole race, however, is out of reach, and Mas knows that himself. With Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard towering above the rest, he’s realistic. “It’s clear these two are defining an era,” he told Eurosport. “But this is a Tour like the old days, with the first ten days where anything can happen, so we’re going to focus on the podium.”

Strong words from the 30-year-old climber, who finished 19th last year. He isn’t known for being the best bike handler – and struggled with a fear of descending for a long time. That makes the chaotic first week a huge challenge. “It’s going to be a difficult start, but we’ll try to enjoy the tension,” he said, trying to stay positive. “With the team we have, we can handle it well.”

Those first few stages could prove crucial, as even a small mistake can have big consequences. Still, Mas is heading into them without much preparation (relatively speaking). “I don’t know a lot about them because we didn’t have time to recon them. There are so many races, and all the preparation took up so many days. We did ride the last 30 kilometers of the first stage, so it’s going to be a bit chaotic.”

Team boss Eusebio Unzué sees Mas as his clear leader, but his main goal is winning a stage. “The team’s top objective is to try and win a stage, something we haven’t managed to do in a few years,” he told Eurosport. While Mas is capable of winning stages, he isn’t exactly known for racking up victories. “Enric is someone who finds it very hard to win, that's obvious. But his biggest strength is his consistency, and in three-week races – especially the Tour de France and Vuelta a España – he’s among the best. So he’s the rider with whom we’ll try to get the best possible overall result.”

Movistar will head to France with a relatively inexperienced squad. “That’s right, because we have a lot of rookies,” Unzué confirmed. Iván Romeo, Pablo Castrillo, Will Barta, and Einer Rubio will all be making their Tour de France debut this year. “I hope their enthusiasm and determination will make up for their lack of experience.” Unzué expects a lot from Romeo and Castrillo in particular. “They’re both super excited to discover the Tour. For Iván, it’s also his first grand tour. They’ll both be in top form.”

Romeo has broken through this year with some fantastic performances. He even won a stage at the Critérium du Dauphiné and wore the yellow jersey. “What he’s done clearly gives people a reason to be excited,” said Unzué, who wants to introduce him to the Tour carefully. “For now, we want him to gain some experience. Of course, we’ll try to give him two, three or four days of freedom in stages we think suit him. We’ll also mark the time trial on stage five. But we’re taking it step by step.”

Choosing the right stages will be key, not just for Romeo but for the whole team. They won’t be winning bunch sprints, and against Pogacar and Vingegaard in the mountains, the Spaniards will struggle. Getting into the right breakaway will be crucial. “Even though it’s very hard in cycling these days, there are always days when it works out. I hope we can always have some of our riders up there. And with Enric, we can aim for the best possible result,” Unzué concluded.