In Seville, on the second rest day of the Vuelta, Enric Mas met with the media in a press conference that marks a crucial moment in his career: he presents himself as the race leader, a rare position for him at this stage of a grand tour. With the Vuelta headquarters set up in the city, Mas is ready to face the final decisive week of the Tour of Spain.

"Good. We are enthusiastic. Today is a somewhat quieter day, and it's time to enjoy it - explains Mas, 31 years old, already three times runner-up in the Vuelta standings in 2018, 2021 and 2022 -. I've felt really good over the last two weeks".

After facing difficult moments in recent months, the Majorcan now expresses his desire to have fun and continue to compete at the highest level, looking optimistically to the future: "Something bad could happen. But so far the team has been fantastic, everything is under control". Mas also shared a dream: "Yes, I dream of Granada. You always think about what could happen this week. I like to think about it"". Granada means the final stage on Sunday the 13th, the spectacular final circuit with a view of the Alhambra that recalls the one in Montmartre in Paris.

In the standings, Mas leads with 2'06" over Gall and 2'10" over Roglic. Thursday awaits him with the 32-kilometer time trial in Jerez de la Frontera, considered a decisive moment of the final week. "But it's not just the time trial that's crucial - warns Mas, leader of Movistar -. There are other important stages and we shouldn't fear the time trial, because it's just one stage out of 21", said Mas, who then acknowledged the value of Roglic: "You can never rule him out. He's showing brilliant form. He knows what it means to win the Vuelta because he's already won it four times".

On his new role as leader, Mas added: "I try to do the same things as before"". Before highlighting the support of Spanish fans: "There's a real boom for the team. We're doing well and the country is enjoying Spanish cycling. We haven't been leaders of a grand tour in years". And on the rest day he closes like this: "There's no racing that day, but you go train and everything is as before".

Moments of preparation and reflection, in view of the decisive days, where every second could be crucial. The countdown to the final finish in Granada has begun.