‘Almost everything has been under control’ - Mas confident ahead of decisive Vuelta week

Mas finished safely in the reduced peloton in Córdoba on Sunday, where Wout van Aert claimed his second victory of this Vuelta after an aggressive finale to a stage shortened by 79 kilometres because of the extreme heat.

For Mas, the objective was considerably simple: stay out of trouble and allow other teams to take responsibility for the stage.

“To be honest, it was one of our plans to let the breakaway go and let Jumbo [Visma | Lease a Bike] and Cofidis control until the finish,” Mas said afterwards.

That scenario played out for much of the stage, with Visma keeping the early move on a relatively short leash as the race headed towards Córdoba. But the race changed once Van Aert went on the offensive.

“That was until Wout [van Aert] attacked at the intermediate sprint,” Mas said.

Van Aert bridged across to Andreas Leknessund and Ramses Debruyne with 32 kilometres remaining, bringing Thibau Nys and Alessandro Romele with him.

From there, the Belgian took command of the race.

Behind them, Mas completed another uneventful day in the red jersey. The Spaniard now heads into the second and final rest day with a 2:06 advantage over Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and 2:10 over Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

“Not everything has gone like we wanted since last Sunday, but almost everything has been under control, so I’m happy,” Mas said.

That has largely been the story of his week in red. Movistar have not had to chase every move and Mas has so far avoided losing time to his GC competitors. The strength of the Spanish squad in the mountain stages of week two has also been clear, with Movistar repeatedly using satellite riders up the road to great effect, giving Mas valuable support deep into the decisive moments of the stage.

The shortened stage to Córdoba presented a different kind of challenge, however. With just over 100 kilometres to race, attacks came almost from the start and the heat took its toll as the race moved onto the more demanding roads later in the stage.

Mas stayed near the front when the peloton began to thin out, but with no dangerous GC rider up the road, Movistar could leave much of the work to others.

His focus now turns to the final week, with Gall and Roglič still his main rivals for the overall victory. As the race heads towards its conclusion, Mas can also count on the backing of the Spanish crowd, something he has felt throughout the race.

“To be honest, I really like when we race in Spain,” he said. “I feel a lot of support from the people and I hope it continues like this until Granada.”

Mas starts the final week in red, more than two minutes clear and, for now at least, with the race where he wants it.