Mont Ventoux volvió a hablar. En su lengua áspera, entre el polvo y el eco de las gestas, pronunció un nombre con acento balear. Enric Mas, lejos ya de los focos de la general, firmó en la cima lunar del Gigante de Provenza una de esas actuaciones que no entregan trofeos, pero sí devuelven la fe. La suya. La de su equipo. La de un país entero que necesita héroes de carne y hueso, de esos que se vacían sin garantías de gloria.
Quedan cinco etapas para que baje el telón del Tour de Francia 2025 y, tras la jornada del Mont Ventoux, el Movistar Team vuelve a latir. Lo hace gracias a un corredor que, con más silencios que aspavientos, se empeñó en dejar huella cuando muchos lo daban por amortizado. “Lo hemos intentado y quedan cinco etapas para ir a por ellas”, soltó Mas con la voz resquebrajada, aún con el zumbido del esfuerzo en las piernas.
El plan del equipo telefónico estaba claro desde el día de descanso: buscar la fuga buena, meter a los hombres adecuados y jugar sus cartas en la subida más icónica de esta edición. Iván Romeo fue el primero en moverse, aunque su intento fue abortado con malas formas por Nils Politt. Pero la verdadera acción comenzó cuando Mas y Gregor Mühlberger lograron colarse en el corte decisivo, una numerosa avanzadilla de más de 30 corredores.
A 60 kilómetros de meta se rompió el grupo en busca del botín grande. Enric encontró hueco en el movimiento clave, acompañado por nombres como Alaphilippe, Arensman, Velasco o Trentin. La selección natural hizo su trabajo y, ya en las primeras rampas del Ventoux, solo Mas, Alaphilippe y Arensman mantenían viva la esperanza. Fue entonces, a 14 de meta, cuando Enric atacó con el alma. Sin reservas. Sin cálculo. Un manojo de ilusión contra el mundo.
Llegó a tener más de un minuto de ventaja. Por momentos, pareció que estaba a punto de abrochar la jornada de su vida. Pero el Ventoux no perdona. Desde atrás, emergieron los Healy, los Paret-Peintre, los Buitrago. La ventaja menguó hasta esfumarse. Fue cazado, resistió, volvió a engancharse y finalmente se rindió, no por decisión propia, sino por extenuación. Séptimo en meta. Un resultado que no cuenta toda la verdad.
“Lo he intentado desde abajo, pero estaba vacío a falta de cinco kilómetros. Tenía que probarlo desde lejos”, reconoció el mallorquín, que agradeció el cariño recibido en las carreteras francesas, sobre todo en los Pirineos, donde sus opciones en la general quedaron arrasadas. “Quiero dar las gracias al aficionado español y confío en mi equipo para que podamos ganar una etapa”.
Y es que ese sigue siendo el gran anhelo de Movistar en esta edición. Con Mas liberado de cualquier presión clasificatoria, con un Romeo cada vez más asentado, con Cortina y Castrillo listos para emboscadas, las cinco jornadas restantes ofrecen oportunidades reales para firmar el ansiado triunfo parcial.
En la etapa 17, con final en Valence y terreno quebrado, Romeo podría buscar su día como él mismo dijo en MARCA. En las dos llegadas montañosas de La Loze y La Plagne, Mas y Einer Rubio son las cartas fuertes. Para la jornada 20, con perfil de clásica, Castrillo puede soñar e incluso el mismo Romeo. Ya en París todo parece más complicado.
Más allá de los nombres y los porcentajes, lo que dejó claro Enric Mas en el Ventoux es que aún hay fuego en las piernas y en el corazón. Y que cuando un equipo se siente parte de algo así, por más que falten los podios, sobran los motivos para seguir creyendo.
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