'Another day less' - No crosswind scare for Mas as Vuelta crunch looms

Primož Roglič’s Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad tested the waters by hitting the front with 20km to go, but there was little prospect of echelons forming. Mas, in any case, was wise to the danger, parking himself behind the Slovenian until the threat subsided. The day finished in a bunch sprint, with Matthew Brennan (Visma) claiming the spoils.

“Another day less. We’re counting them down; there are five left,” said Mas. “There was that moment of tension, but we knew there wasn’t enough wind, or at least it wasn’t blowing as strongly as we’d expected.”

The stage immediately after the second rest day has proven a pitfall for Vuelta leaders in years past, most notably in 2012 when Alberto Contador snatched the red jersey from Joaquim Rodríguez with a masterful ambush on the road to Fuente Dé.

Mas endured no such scare here, with the Spaniard well marshalled by his Movistar team throughout the afternoon in the province of Huelva. He acknowledged afterwards that he was glad of a relatively benign day to feel his way back into action after the rest day.

“For me and for the team it was super, because we had to rest a little bit from last week. Today and tomorrow are not easy days, but a different kind of day for us,” said Mas.

“I was a bit bored after yesterday because we took it really, really easy, but I think it’s normal. I hope tomorrow the legs are better, so we’ll see.”

Stage 17 to Seville should provide another opportunity for the sprinters before Mas faces the biggest test of credentials in Thursday’s 32.5km time trial to Jerez de la Frontera. While he will hope to gain ground on Felix Gall, currently second at 2:06, he will be braced for Roglič to make significant inroads on his deficit of 2:10.

Mas has downplayed the significance of the time trial, pointing out that two summit finishes will follow at Peñas Blancas and Collado del Alguacil. He reiterated the point at La Rábida, stressing that he had devoted any significant thought to the time trial during Monday’s rest day.

“On the rest day, I dedicated myself to resting,” Mas said. “I think the preparation beforehand has been very good, and that’s it, let’s go for it. First, we’re going to focus on tomorrow, because every day is super important, and then Thursday will come.”