'They should put the heaters on' - Enric Mas jokes ahead of crucial Calar Alto test

With a crucial day at Calar Alto awaiting on Thursday, Mas already had one request for the fans.

“They should put the heaters on, like they said the other day.” he told RTVE after the stage.

It was a reference to a joke that has followed Mas through the race. It dates back to stage 6, when he went toe to toe with Tadej Pogačar on El Bartolo and finished alongside the Slovenian in Castellón. 

Afterwards, Mas pointed to the conditions as one reason for his performance. “I already said the heat suited me, and today it was very hot,” he said at the time. 

The line caught on, with fans joking that they should bring heaters to the roadside to give the Spaniard even more favourable conditions.

As it happens, Mas looks set to get another hot day on Thursday, with sunshine forecast and temperatures expected to approach 35 degrees on parts of the route to Calar Alto.

While the heat looks set to oblige, the wind did not on stage 11. The 153.8 kilometre run from Cartagena to Lorca had carried the threat of echelons, but the exposed sections midway through the stage never produced the splits many had anticipated.

Matthew Brennan eventually won the bunch sprint, his third victory of the race, while Mas and the other main general classification contenders finished together.

Mas, perhaps unusually for the man defending the red jersey, sounded disappointed that the wind had not played a bigger role.

“I think the route was prepared for that,” he said. “It’s a shame the wind didn’t blow as much as it needed to, because we couldn’t really go on the attack. But those are things that happen in racing.”

Movistar had not gone into the day with an elaborate plan to split the peloton. Mas simply likes racing in those conditions and believes they suit both him and his team.

“I think we defend ourselves very well there,” he said. “I really like that kind of racing and I enjoy it.”

In the end, there was nothing for Mas to defend against. Brennan and the sprinters took over in Lorca, while the overall contenders crossed the line without losing time. Mas remains in red for another day.

Thursday should be a very different affair. Stage 12 covers 166.6km from Vera to Calar Alto and contains around 4,500 metres of climbing. 

The road rises almost immediately over the Alto del Cabecico, with the Alto de Cóbdar and Collado García following before the decisive final 44 kilometres. First comes the Alto de Velefique, 13.1km at 7.2%, before the race descends towards Bacares and turns onto the final 16.9km climb to Calar Alto. The finish sits at 2,153m above sea level.

Mas starts the stage with 1:18 in hand over Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), while Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) is third at 1:39. Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) follows at 2:20 and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) is fifth at 3:26.

For now, Mas is keeping his ambitions simple. Asked whether Thursday was about gaining more time or protecting what he already has, he offered a measured response.

“If we reach the finish with the jersey, we’ll be happy.”