Enric Mas says that the time trial halfway through the Vuelta a España will shape the race
The Spanish rider finished in second overall behind winner Primož Roglič
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Enric Mas has said that the 2022 Vuelta a España will likely be shaped around the mid-race individual time trial.
The time trial has definitely played a defining role in the last three editions of the race, with Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) performing exceptionally well in all of them, either taking the race lead or extending it.
Movistar's leader Mas believes that the only individual time trial included in the 2022 race will have a similar impact on the general classification.
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The Vuelta a España 2022 route was announced on the evening of Thursday, December 16 and includes a 31.1km time trial between Elche and Alicante at the start of the second week.
Speaking to CyclingNews (opens in new tab)after the presentation, Mas said: "The teams will have to control the race very differently to this year (2021), because the gaps between the riders in the TT will shape how the big names race for the rest of the Vuelta. If somebody gets a minute’s advantage in the TT, say, that’ll change how everybody else races."
This isn't the only time trial though, the first stage of the race around the Dutch city of Utrecht also sees riders tested against the clock, but in the format of a team time trial - a discipline we've seen become less prevalent in recent years.
Mas has other goals before the Vuelta. He is set to lead his team at the Tour de France before likely heading to the three-week race in his home nation of Spain.
Mas had an excellent double of the Tour and Vuelta in 2021 with the Mallorcan managing sixth overall in the Tour and then a very strong second in the Vuelta, where he did test Roglič but eventually faded to being almost five minutes behind the Slovenian superstar.
"If it’s gone well, then I’ll be looking for more," he added.
“I have the same intentions overall in the Tour and Vuelta as I had in 2021. Hopefully next year I’ll go in feeling stronger, thanks to how I did this season."
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Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
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