Movistar boss Unzué honest after Mas' GC struggles: 'This Giro has been a failure'

Enric Mas had to undergo surgery in October to address the thrombophlebitis that prematurely ended his 2025 season following the Tour de France, marking a major setback for the three-time Vuelta a España runner-up ahead of 2026. 

Despite optimism surrounding Mas’s return ahead of the Giro, the Movistar leader struggled on the first two summit finishes to Blockhaus and Corno alle Scale, which saw him slip from the GC picture. 

“We knew there was uncertainty around Enric because after such a long time away from racing, there are always doubts, even if he had trained very well before the Giro,” Unzué told AS. 

“But the real tests are the races, and unfortunately, when the decisive moments arrived, he was not at the level we expected," said Unzué.

Mas had spoken before the race about fighting for a podium finish, something that surprised many observers given the lack of racing in his legs heading into his Giro debut. Unzué admitted the expectations created before the race ultimately did not match reality once the Giro reached the first mountains.

“People were surprised when Enric spoke about fighting for the podium, and honestly, I also understood why afterwards,” said Unzué. “He believed in himself because training had gone well and it was also a way to give himself confidence, but clearly his performance in this Giro has been a failure.”

Despite Mas’s struggles in the GC, Movistar have remained one of the most aggressive teams in the race, repeatedly placing riders into breakaways in search of stage victories. Stage 4 saw the team take control of the final 50km to set up a reduced group sprint for Orluis Aular. 

The Venezuelan champion was beaten by Jhonatan Narváez, but it demonstrated the team’s commitment and unity. Even Mas had tasted his own near miss at the hands of Narváez, losing a mano a mano sprint on stage 11 from the breakaway. The Ecuadorian champion has proven to be a thorn in the Spanish team’s side. 

“We are missing the reward for all the work the riders have done. The team has shown commitment every day, and we have been close to winning stages on several occasions, but things have happened during the race that stopped us from taking those opportunities,” said Unzué. 

“Even so, we will continue fighting until Rome because winning a stage is now our clear objective.”

Away from the Giro, Unzué also addressed Movistar’s long-term transfer strategy and insisted the Spanish team will continue focusing on internal development rather than major signings. 

Unzué highlighted young riders already within the squad as the foundation for the future, including Cian Uijtdebroeks and the Spanish champion Iván Romeo.

“We are not thinking about making huge signings because we strongly believe in the riders we already have,” said Unzué. “Some of them will take important steps forward with more experience, and we want to continue building around that philosophy.”

Romeo, who recently extended his contract with Movistar until 2030, is viewed as one of the team’s most important long-term prospects. 

“Iván has enormous talent, and we believe he can continue improving in many areas,” Unzué said. “We want him to develop in all kinds of races because his profile allows him to be competitive in many situations. We have great confidence in his future and in what he can become for this team.”

The 22-year-old Spanish champion has already impressed across a variety of terrain and has even drawn comparisons with five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain because of his physical profile and versatility.

“They have some things in common, although they are different profiles. Miguel, in addition to being a great time trialist, was a superb climber. With Iván, we don't want to limit his progress because he does things that suggest he can go very far,” said Unzué.