Movistar finally shares reassuring update on Enric Mas, who was devastated after missing his beloved Vuelta

Mas' spring went quite smoothly. After finishing third in the Vuelta in Madrid last year, all eyes were on the Tour again this year, before returning to Spain. In preparation for the two Grand Tours, the rider from Mallorca had an extensive spring. He didn't win, but his legs seemed to be in good shape.

In the Tour of Catalonia, he finished third in the overall classification, behind winner Primoz Roglic and runner-up Juan Ayuso. Not long after, he competed in the Tour of the Basque Country, where Mas finished second after a fantastic final stage. After a disappointing double in the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he finished seventh in the Dauphiné before traveling to the Tour via Andorra.

In stage seven to Mûr-de-Bretagne, things went wrong for Mas when the Spaniard was involved in a crash. Despite this, the veteran rider continued for a long time and only withdrew in stage eighteen. Ultimately, his situation worsened, and he was eventually diagnosed with phlebitis.

This meant the end of his beloved Vuelta. At the end of August, Mas announced that he was devastated. "It's tough. I've known for a while that I wouldn't be there, so I'm dealing with it as best I can. It's tough not to be able to cycle because of an injury, but I have to accept it," he said at the time.

He was not in pain, but he was certainly shocked by his injury. “It's more frightening because we're used to muscle or bone injuries, and in this case, it's, let's say, venous. Maybe the team doctors are more used to it, but we're not,” he said during his visit to the Vuelta.

At the time, the Spaniard was unable to give a date for his return. “I don't know if I'll start competing in January, February, March, or April... it depends on how I recover, it's tough,” he said at the time. It was clear then that surgery would follow. That surgery has now been successful.

In an “official statement”, Movistar announced on Tuesday that Mas underwent successful surgery on varicose veins in his left leg yesterday. The Spanish team also announced that “the surgery went according to plan and without incident”. That is very encouraging news for the Spaniard.

“Over the next few days, the cyclist will undergo the necessary medical checks and, if progress is favorable, he will be able to start his winter training within a few weeks,” said the Spanish team, which also expressed its appreciation to those who have shown their sympathy. “The team appreciates the interest and support it has received.”