Enric Mas Rising Star

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Anyway, I was disappointed by his early season, but now he's won me back over.

He's going for GC in the Vuelta I heard? What's inbetween?

I'm guessing he'll go for Burgos again.. Maybe Dauphiné or Suisse in between? QS don't have that many options for GC

Suisse makes more sense I think. Maybe he'll go to Austria

Possibly Suisse, although Movistar has already announced they are sending all 3 of their top riders there and sending Soler to lead the team at the Dauphine.

What has that got to do with Mas

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Anyway, I was disappointed by his early season, but now he's won me back over.

He's going for GC in the Vuelta I heard? What's inbetween?

I'm guessing he'll go for Burgos again.. Maybe Dauphiné or Suisse in between? QS don't have that many options for GC

Suisse makes more sense I think. Maybe he'll go to Austria

Possibly Suisse, although Movistar has already announced they are sending all 3 of their top riders there and sending Soler to lead the team at the Dauphine.

What has that got to do with Mas

It's going to depend on which top riders they want Mas to go up against in which race.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

It's going to depend on which top riders they want Mas to go up against in which race.

I think they'll look at which race best fits his characteristics rather than the competition.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

It's going to depend on which top riders they want Mas to go up against in which race.

I think they'll look at which race best fits his characteristics rather than the competition.

They're similar enough that how it fits in the buildup toward Vuelta is more important I think.

 

[Valv.Piti]

What an absolutely stunning performance - he could most likely have followed Landa today. I didn't know he had this in him at this moment. Could do some pretty crazy stuff in La Vuelta, maybe similar to Lopez last year. QS is just an awesome team

 

[SafeBet]

Looked great the whole week. It was only a matter of time. Stunning win, the first of many.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Very frustrating to see Enric lose his youth jersey and chance at a top-10 finish due to Quickstep's dumb tactics.
Would have been 9th after today's stage.

And this is why I’m not a fan of his remaining at QS, although I do like Lefevre. Sometimes you have to let the potential rise.

He should 100% be happy to ride with Quickstep: it’s a team with a winning mentality and it’s a team that will let him ride for himself reasonably often.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

A really stunning performance. The level of competition he held off despite having been in the break was absurdly high.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Very frustrating to see Enric lose his youth jersey and chance at a top-10 finish due to Quickstep's dumb tactics.
Would have been 9th after today's stage.

And this is why I’m not a fan of his remaining at QS, although I do like Lefevre. Sometimes you have to let the potential rise.

He should 100% be happy to ride with Quickstep: it’s a team with a winning mentality and it’s a team that will let him ride for himself reasonably often.

At least for now I agree his best option is to stay where he's at and learn. He'll have plenty of opportunities to ride for himself in stage races. It's not like QS has that many GC riders, so he'll get his opportunities.

 

[armchairclimber]

After yesterday's performance, I'd love to see him head to the Giro ... even just for stage hunting and to see how he fares on GC.

 

[Forever The Best]

That was a great win yesterday.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Great stage for him today, too bad the route isn't hard enough for him. Should be one of the favourites for Arosa.

Intrigued by his TT. He could be a top-5 contender this Vuelta, I think.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Great result, great performance. That final punch was impressive and unexpected but I have to wonder what could have happened if he had made the first move. Still it was very encouraging to see him so comfortable throughout the climb, he looked really strong.
He can deliver a decent TT but I haven't looked at the profile yet. It may be a bit long for him if it's not that hilly. If he takes some time on Friday he can definitely finish top-5 overall though.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Looked strong again today. 2nd place behind Porte tomorrow. Vamos Enric

 

[Akuryo]

Once again climbed with the best. And now with the best young rider jersey on his shoulders and only 1 second off the podium. His TT form wasn't bad recently so maybe he can even get that podium overall.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Only 8 seconds from the podium in the end. Pretty good TT!
A top-10 at the Vuelta seems likely at this point, and even top-5 is possible.

 

[perico]

He should ride for the win. He’s got the talent.

 

[Akuryo]

He should ride for the win. He’s got the talent.

But not the team. Qs cant defend a jersey in the mountains. Or do you expect Serry, Knox and Capecchi to suddenly control the peloton when the road goes up?

 

[Cinemaniak]

He should ride for the win. He’s got the talent.

But not the team. Qs cant defend a jersey in the mountains. Or do you expect Serry, Knox and Capecchi to suddenly control the peloton when the road goes up?

Alaphilippe, Vakoc, De Plus, Devenyns and Jungles are pretty good climbers, right?

 

[Akuryo]

He should ride for the win. He’s got the talent.

But not the team. Qs cant defend a jersey in the mountains. Or do you expect Serry, Knox and Capecchi to suddenly control the peloton when the road goes up?

Alaphilippe, Vakoc, De Plus, Devenyns and Jungles are pretty good climbers, right?

Alaphilippe is a puncheur, not a climber, Vakoc, De Plus and Devenyns were all pretty much injured nonstop this year and Jungels is the captain for the Tour.

 

[cellardoor]

He should ride for the win. He’s got the talent.

But not the team. Qs cant defend a jersey in the mountains. Or do you expect Serry, Knox and Capecchi to suddenly control the peloton when the road goes up?

Alaphilippe, Vakoc, De Plus, Devenyns and Jungles are pretty good climbers, right?

Alaphilippe is a puncheur, not a climber, Vakoc, De Plus and Devenyns were all pretty much injured nonstop this year and Jungels is the captain for the Tour.

I don't see why Jungels couldn't also ride the Vuelta and help Mas.

 

[Akuryo]

He should ride for the win. He’s got the talent.

But not the team. Qs cant defend a jersey in the mountains. Or do you expect Serry, Knox and Capecchi to suddenly control the peloton when the road goes up?

Alaphilippe, Vakoc, De Plus, Devenyns and Jungles are pretty good climbers, right?

Alaphilippe is a puncheur, not a climber, Vakoc, De Plus and Devenyns were all pretty much injured nonstop this year and Jungels is the captain for the Tour.

I don't see why Jungels couldn't also ride the Vuelta and help Mas.

Still, that is only one reliable helper. You may not need a strong team to finish top 5 but for a win/podium, a great team is almost always necessary. And as much as I like Quickstep, mountain support is not their strong suit.

 

[perico]

Hmmm... it’s possible. I guess I missed Jesus pacing the leaders up the steep climbs in 2014, and nobody else from Tinkoff-Saxo was anywhere near the front that year.

 

[Akuryo]

I feared that after the good June he had, QS might take him to the Tour. Glad it didn't happen, cause this way he can go full ham on the Vuelta! But what will the team look like besides Mas? I expect something like Hodeg, Jakobsen, Serry, Devenyns, Capecchi and maybe De Plus, if his recovery goes along as nicely as it did so far. Last spot could be Keisse as a road captain, since he will miss the Tour. That would be a fairly balanced team with 2 neo pro sprinters, but also lots of experience and decent support for Enric! I know, the Tour hasn't even started and here I am speculating about a Vuelta squad but I am really excited for Mas.

 

[yaco]

Viviani will ride the Vuelta - QS may take a neo-pro to the Vuelta - They won't take two.