Six months after he had to abandon the Tour de France with what emerged as a serious case of thrombophlebitis – varicose veins – Enric Mas (Movistar) is finally back racing again this week, and on home soil, too.
The multiple-time Vuelta a España podium finisher is set to make Thursday’s team time trial in the Challenge Mallorca, just a stone’s throw away from his home in Artá, his first race of 2026, and his first since last July.
Since then Mas has not raced, missing the Vuelta a España, his home race in which he has finished four times on the podium, most recently third last year, for the first time since 2019.
Speaking during the Vuelta a España, Mas said it was not clear when he would be able to return to racing. “I don’t know when I’ll compete again, and that’s hard,” he said at the time.
But finally one of Spain’s top Grand Tour racers of the last seven years has managed to be back on track early enough in the 2026 season to take part, albeit briefly, in the Challenge Mallorca, his home event – and then head to a full program for 2026.
In a lengthy interview with AS this week, Mas confirmed that after seven consecutive participations in the Tour de France, he’ll be making his debut in the Giro d’Italia, in May, with the Volta a Catalunya in March is the first race where he expects to be in top condition. He’ll then miss the Tour, but will be back for the Vuelta a España in August.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…