[the_ad id="5357"]
[ad_1]
Alejandro Valverde’s alcoholic recovery drinks, Enric Mas’ mid-season ‘exorcism’ and Annemiek van Vleuten’s emergency call of nature during the Tour de France Femmes are amongst some of the standout moments in the latest series of Movistar’s longrunning fly-on-the-wall documentary series, El Día Menos Pensado – ‘The Least Expected Day.’
The emotions of racing and intimate moments from the team bus and massage table
all make their return in series four, in another gripping, fly on the wall series.
Part four of the series, which consists of four episodes, was broadcast in full on Monday on the Movistar+ ‘Vamos’ channel, as part of a special programme filmed at the company’s central headquarters in Madrid.
Previous ‘The Least Expected Day’ series were subsequently broadcast internationally on Netflix and so this fourth series could also soon be seen globally. The Netflix Tour de France documentary called ‘Au cœur du peloton’ is also due for release in June, before this year’s race.
Just as in the three previous parts of El Día Menos Pensado, it is the riders themselves that provide the main focus and interest.
The men’s team’s 2023 battle to gain enough points to remain in the WorldTour is a constant theme, while Annemiek van Vleuten‘s victory at the Tour de France Femmes is a highlight.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, ‘Exorcism’ was the expression used by Movistar’s veteran team boss Eusebio Unzue in El Dia Menos Pensado, to describe Mas’ radical change of spirit and form during the 2022 season after a series of crashes “hurt me to the depths of my soul,” Mas said.
Mas recounts his psychological difficulties caused by the crashes, labelling them “fear and panic” and how after receiving both internal and external support from his team. He had to quit the Tour de France due to COVID-19 but managed to turn things around race-wise in the final part of the year and finished second at the Vuelta a Espana.
“I knew I was in form, but the team had their doubts,” Mas said.
Mas’ strong rides in the first week, most notably on a rain soaked descent on the Pico Jano stage, proved he had overcome his issues and got rid of his inner demons – or as Eusebio Unzue put it, “he’s had an exorcism’.
Valverde’s retirement year also gets a hefty percentage of coverage during the series, starting with his early season victories in Mallorca and Galicia, continuing with an emotional farewell in the Vuelta a España and culminating…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…
[ad_2]