Enric Supermás

After nine days of racing, we have to make an important balance with great contrasts. I stick with this headline, Enric Supermáswith the parallels with Superman. It is true that Enric, before Pogacar had to retire due to the fateful fall on the way to Xeraco, I would already give him that title when he was able to overcome the attack of the Bartolo. almighty Pogacarin one of those attacks where no human can answer him.

There Enric already showed that he was in great shape and looking back, in the last two years or so there has not been any cyclist who has been able to respond to an attack from Pogacar. The fateful stage of Xeraco came, the withdrawal due to the brutal fall of Tadejthere the race changed completely, leaving it very open. There was a situation in the race with the great dominance that Pogacar already had over the rest of the favorites who were fighting for second or third place on the podium, but of course, the race changed brutally.

That fight for the podium has become a fight for the general classification. Enric Mas, when he received the leader’s red jersey for the fall of Pogacar, did not wear it as a tribute, but in the very hard stage ending in Aitana, with more than 5,200 meters of elevation gain, the hardest stage if we count the difference in altitude, Enric Mas managed to break his long streak of five years without wins, giving his best version as a cyclist.

He won the stage, distanced his direct rivals a little in the general classification and well, he has turned around a race where a Spaniard had not led for many years and has a good chance of being the winner of this edition.

Not without a struggle, because there is not enough distance to be too calm right now. The general classification is the leader, Enric, with 1’18s over Roglic, 1’39s over Gall and 2’20s over Onley, who seem to be his greatest rivals for victory and well, we have five very important days left in the race with these small differences, Calar Alto on Thursday and Sierra de la Pandera on Saturday, they are two stages of more than 4,000 meters where all those in the general classification have a serious test again and the following week they are It happens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, on Thursday with the 32-kilometer time trial, where Roglic can have an advantage over the others. An important advantage and then two tough stages with the finish in Peñas Blancas on Friday and the final culmination on Saturday itself, the twentieth stage before the end of Granada.

Pros: Enric Mas, who looks a little better than his rivals.

Cons: Decathlon, has a very strong team and Felix Gard himself, who is threatening in the high finishes and the other tough rival is going to be Roglic, who would have to take another minute, minute and a half to stay calm.

After this week, next Monday, the next break, we will take another stock of the situation of this edition of the Vuelta a España, which has us fired up with Pogacar leaving the race free for the others. Now we have a very interesting race ahead of us for everything that remains and without big differences in the general classification.