Enric Mas avoids major downhill crash during morale-boosting Vuelta a España attack

On the high-speed, ultimate descent of stage 9 of the Vuelta a España, Enric Mas (Movistar) got here inside a whisker of a serious crash because the headwind caught his bike and the Spanish GC contender all however skidded off-course.

In a heart-stopping second for TV viewers, cameras confirmed how Mas wobbled spectacularly to his proper and regarded like he would fall.

However fortunately, the sudden distancing of the continual crash limitations working parallel alongside the highway working down the aspect of the mountain meant the Movistar racer had the area essential to regain management of his bike. 

Fifty metres earlier than or after that time on the descent, a crash at excessive velocity would have been inevitable for Mas. However as a substitute, he may proceed with a breakaway effort began on the Alto de Hazallanas, which noticed him acquire almost a minute at one level on high general favorite Primoz Roglič (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

Thrice a runner-up within the Vuelta a España and second the day earlier than at Cazorla, Mas was lastly reeled in by the Roglič group close to the end in Granada. However whereas he stated afterwards the near-crash had regarded worse than it actually was, he recognised he had been extraordinarily fortunate – and that his situation continues to bode effectively, too, for the remainder of the Vuelta.

“I feel on TV it regarded scarier than it actually was, mainly the wind blew me off target,” Mas informed reporters after stage 9.

“However simply as effectively I didn’t fall and that that additional area with gravel subsequent to the highway was there, as a result of it will have been a very nasty crash. I don’t know if it was the roads or the wind, however I had a number of scary moments on the descents typically, notably once I was off the entrance on my own.

“That exact one, I wished to alter my line and I went off target. Simply as effectively that little bit of gravel was there. I’m very grateful I didn’t fall.”

General, in any case, Mas recognised his Vuelta was going effectively so far. He was capable of persist with Roglič each on stage 4 to Villuercas and on the second summit end in Cazorla, and is at present working fourth general, 4:35 again of race chief Ben O’Conner (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).

“I’m happy with the emotions than the rest,” Mas stated about his unprecedented capability to drop Roglič in a mountain stage within the Vuelta. ”Lastly my transfer was extra attention-grabbing as a spectacle than gaining time, although if we’d had a summit end at this time, it’d have been a unique story. I simply hope on finishes like at Lagos de Covadonga issues work out in another way.”

Mas recognised that with so many switches within the narrative on this 12 months’s Vuelta a España, the race was huge open to this point, and it was, he argued, “rather more attention-grabbing than the Tour de France”.

“I began the day with the purpose of attacking however I didn’t know whether or not to go for it the primary or the second time spherical Hazallanas,” he stated.

“Once I noticed there was a second of weak point [in the peloton of favourites, I went for it. But the strongest on the climbs today was [stage winner] Adam Yates.”

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