Red Bull raises alarm over motorbikes around Enric Mas: 'It wasn't an isolated incident'

The time trial at the Vuelta a España was supposed to add another layer of tension to the battle for the general classification, but fourth place for Primož Roglič was not enough to seriously threaten Enric Mas, partly because of an outstanding performance from the Spaniard. Afterwards, however, images emerged showing race motorbikes riding extremely close in front of the red jersey wearer, and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team director Sven Vanthourenhout had plenty to say about what he saw.

One widely shared image compared Mas and Roglič at exactly the same point on the course. There was a substantial gap between the motorbikes and Roglič, while Mas appeared to have two motorbikes riding much closer ahead of him. "That photo is certainly familiar to me, yes," Vanthourenhout told Sporza. "It's a snapshot, but it's something I don't like seeing and something I wouldn't expect anymore in 2026."

The Belgian did not dismiss the suggestion that the positioning of the race motorbikes may have given the Spanish race leader an advantage. "It's not pleasant to see. It was already something some riders were worried about beforehand. At the time, I made it very clear that we could only focus on ourselves and on the things we could control." Vanthourenhout then compared the situation to Eliud Kipchoge's famous attempt to run a marathon in under two hours: "It's like when Kipchoge wanted to run a marathon in under two hours."

The influence of motorbikes on professional cycling races has become an increasingly prominent issue, and Vanthourenhout says the subject has already come up repeatedly during this Vuelta. "This is something the riders are extremely concerned about. Even during this Vuelta, it has been discussed many times that motorbikes can decide certain race situations." However, he was also keen not to direct the criticism at Mas himself. "Because he's simply taking advantage of the situation, which is logical. A rider from our team would do exactly the same."

Asked whether Mas might also receive an advantage from the race motorbikes once the Vuelta heads back into the mountains, Vanthourenhout gave a telling response. "It has already happened." Roglič had also seen the images from the time trial. "He didn't particularly enjoy seeing it. He wasn't very happy about it, but yes... that's the attitude he takes. At the same time, Primož also manages to take some motivation from it." With the final mountain stages still to come, the Slovenian remains Mas' closest challenger in the battle for the red jersey.

Once again, the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team director stressed that he does not blame the race leader, including for what happened during the time trial. "I also want to emphasise that we're seeing an incredibly strong Mas today. If he wins the Vuelta, he will have earned it himself. He's extremely good, maybe the best Mas we've ever seen. But we really need to pay more attention to what the motorbikes are doing and where they're positioned at certain moments. Because this isn't something new in cycling."