The Movistar Team has ensured this Monday the continuity of one of its leaders with the renewal until 2025 of the contract of Enric Mas, runner-up in La Vuelta a España on two occasions (2018 and 2021). In this way, the 27-year-old Mallorcan cyclist will remain in the telephone group for five years from his arrival in 2020.
"It was a very easy decision, since I had been clear for a long time that I wanted to stay in the Movistar Team. Without a doubt, the most important reason for continuing is the great group of people we have, both the staff, with enormous technical quality and staff, like the runners, who leave everything for you", explained Mas, who had a contract until the end of 2022.
The Spaniard is the Movistar team's great hope for the Tour de France, which begins on July 1 with a time trial in Copenhagen. Mas finished in sixth place overall in the last edition of the gala round and was the best-placed Spaniard in a race where the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won.
"I go to this Tour with the best of illusions this year and the goal for the next three years is to fight to get on those podiums in the Tour, Giro or Vuelta or, why not, aspire to victory in one of the Grand Tours" , valued that of Artà, who acknowledges having spent "complicated months in this start of 2022, with various incidents in tests".
The Mallorcan, a good climber and roller, has been gaining weight in the structure led by Eusebio Unzué, especially after the controversial departure in 2021 of Miguel Ángel López and the subsequent departure of Marc Soler. But together with veteran Alejandro Valverde, he is the cyclist with the most pedigree in the team, although the 42-year-old from Murcia, who will retire at the end of this season, will not be in this next edition of the Tour de France.
Mas began the year competing in the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and Pollença, both in his native Mallorca, and later participated in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (4th), the Tirreno Adriatico (16th), the Miguel Indurain Grand Prix, the Vuelta al Basque Country (7th), the Walloon Arrow (33rd), the Liège-Bastogne-Liège (12th) and the Criterium Dauphiné (52nd).
