![\"Enric](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/enric-mas-giro-italia-1273796485.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Juan L\u00f3pez took a relatively moderate line. The journalist gave him 3 out of 10 and explained that, despite the failure in the GC, there were a few details that kept him from going even lower.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was close to winning a stage,\u201d L\u00f3pez recalled, highlighting the day when only Jonathan Narv\u00e1ez beat him. For the reporter, that ride at least showed a combative attitude once the podium fight was lost.<\/p>\n
However, the journalist made it clear that this was not enough to redeem the overall balance of the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot once was Enric able to stay with the best in the race,\u201d he said in his analysis, a line that neatly sums up the main concern currently surrounding the Balearic rider.<\/p>\n
Javier Rampe was far more forceful. He gave a 1 out of 10 and his assessment went beyond the bare results.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnric Mas\u2019 target was the podium in Rome and a stage,\u201d the journalist recalled. In his view, the gap between what was promised and what was delivered makes the Mallorcan\u2019s performance one of the major disappointments of the season.<\/p>\n
But Rampe\u2019s analysis went deeper still. For him, the problem isn\u2019t just this Giro. The real debate turns on the trend Enric Mas has followed in recent years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Enric Mas at Movistar\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think when he hit rock bottom at the Tour de France with that sad, painful crash, from that point on, both psychologically and physically, Enric Mas has been a different rider,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The claim is especially relevant because it links the present to a broader trajectory. For years, Mas was one of the most reliable Grand Tour riders, stacking podiums at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a and establishing himself as Spanish cycling\u2019s standard-bearer after Alejandro Valverde\u2019s retirement.<\/p>\n
Recent seasons, however, have been marked by inconsistency. Big performances have grown rarer and off days more frequent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best Enric is unlikely to return\u201d<\/p>\n
Rampe sees a clear contrast between the image some fans still hold and today\u2019s competitive reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think in the Spanish fan\u2019s mind we still see Enric Mas as a rider who is always there, but that Enric is very unlikely to come back,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Even so, not even the harshest critics are closing the door on his chances of big results. Juan L\u00f3pez believes there is still a scenario in which the Mallorcan can recover part of his best version: the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a.<\/p>\n
Both journalists argue that Enric Mas has always been a slow-burn rider, someone who needs racing and kilometres in the legs before reaching top form. That\u2019s why they feel the Giro may have come too early in a season shaped by physical issues and a compromised build-up.<\/p>\n
Rampe developed this idea in particular.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a rider who needs many months of competition to perform well,\u201d he said, before noting that some of his best historical results have come late in the season.<\/p>\n
The journalist even recalled the victory at the Giro dell\u2019Emilia against Tadej Poga\u010dar, along with other standout autumn rides, as examples of a pattern repeated over the years.<\/p>\n
He therefore considers that 2026 planning contained a major strategic error.<\/p>\n
![\"Enric](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/127216388enric-mas-movistar-giro8.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n
Enric Mas at the 2026 Giro d’italia\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was far too hasty to take Enric Mas to the first Grand Tour of the year,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Another point both question is the pre-Giro messaging. L\u00f3pez and Rampe believe expectations were set too high given the rider\u2019s actual preparation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a false start by making people believe something was possible that, objectively, was quite complicated,\u201d said Juan L\u00f3pez.<\/p>\n
Rampe went even further and raised doubts about how the situation was handled internally.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s impossible that Enric Mas didn\u2019t know the numbers he was putting out,\u201d he noted, suggesting the team may have been overly optimistic when assessing its options before the Giro start.<\/p>\n
What about Enric Mas\u2019 future<\/p>\n
The big question now is what happens next. With a long-term contract at Movistar Team and still years ahead in the pro peloton, Mas faces a decisive phase of his career.<\/p>\n
The two writers agree on one key point: he still has the quality to land major results. However, they also believe the time for excuses is starting to run out.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Giro d\u2019Italia confirmed that he can no longer live solely on past achievements. He needs to prove again that he can race the best when expectations are highest.<\/p>\n
Because, as the reflections of Juan L\u00f3pez and Javier Rampe suggest, the real debate is no longer whether Enric Mas had a poor Giro. The debate is whether he can still be the Enric Mas who made the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a his territory and for years stood as Spanish cycling\u2019s great hope.<\/p>\n
Enric\u2019s progression in Grand Tours<\/p>\n