Yikes, that was close! Enric Mas of Movistar definitely needed to change his chamois after a terrifying moment while descending during Stage 9 of the Vuelta a España.
On the final descent, while in the red jersey group, third-place Mas made a huge move to gain time on his rivals. He was a minute behind maillot rojo Ben O’Connor (Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) and three-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
The close call
But disaster almost struck on the way down. He went around a corner at full speed and lost control of his front wheel, only managing to correct himself and avoid going down.
The Spanish rider came close to high-siding it—a crash where a bike’s rear wheel loses traction in a turn, then suddenly regains it, causing the bike to snap upright and throw the rider, leading to a violent crash.
“The rear wheel just comes off the ground, which makes it even more dangerous,” former Dutch pro Nathan Van Hooydonck explained on The Breakaway podcast. “Then you lose all control, and the only thing you can basically do is go straight. It was a very near-miss. His Vuelta could have been over quickly.”
🚴🇪🇸 | Enric Mas… Dat gaat echt maar net goed. Dat had veel erger kunnen aflopen… 🤯🤯 #LaVuelta24
📺 Stream koers op HBO Max pic.twitter.com/ZaeFYZTsnD
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) August 25, 2024
The Movistar rider was lucky he had his near-miss where he did on a particular section of the descent.
“If the lay-by [designated area alongside a road where vehicles can pull over and stop temporarily] wasn’t there, he would have been over the edge. Both wheels at one point were off the ground,” Matt Stephens added.
Mas holds third place in the general classification, trailing O’Connor by 4’31” and sitting just 42 seconds behind Roglic. Adam Yates took the win on a high mountains route, vaulting up the GC to 7th and seizing the blue polka dot jersey.
Monday is the first rest day at the Vuelta a España. Stage 10 is from Ponteareas to Baiona for a total of 160 km, with four tough climbs.
You can watch the 2024 Vuelta a España on FloBikes.com.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…