Enric Mas Cracks Under Pressure in Stage 4 Meltdown: “The Only Thing I Can Do Right Now Is Survive”—Is This the Beginning of Movistar’s Collapse?

Stage 4 of the 2025 Tour de France delivered more than just climbing drama—it may have cracked open the deepest vulnerabilities of a man once seen as the Spanish answer to the Pogacar-Vingegaard era. Enric Mas, the embattled Movistar leader, lost 32 seconds to a merciless Tadej Pogacar, was relentlessly pressed by a surging Remco Evenepoel, and finished the stage visibly shattered. But it wasn’t just his legs that gave out—it was his spirit. What followed was an emotional media moment that could mark a turning point for Movistar’s entire campaign.

Mas, who had started this Tour with cautious optimism and dark horse whispers behind his name, was dropped from the lead group in the final five kilometers of the climb to Col de la Schlucht. While Pogacar and Evenepoel traded accelerations with icy precision, Mas was seen grimacing, flicking his head in frustration, and falling back without resistance. He crossed the finish line 32 seconds behind the yellow jersey contenders, with shoulders slumped and face hollow.

But the real explosion came minutes later in the media zone.

“The only thing I can do right now is survive,” Mas said, barely able to look reporters in the eye. “They are riding on another level. I’m not where I need to be—not even close.” His voice cracked. His delivery was subdued. And his Movistar entourage stood in uncomfortable silence, offering no defense, no correction, no spin.

It was a brutally honest self-assessment that sent shockwaves through cycling Twitter and had Spanish sports media scrambling for answers. Was this a moment of humility? Or the start of an internal collapse within the Movistar setup?

Mas’s statement struck deeper because of its rarity. In a sport often cloaked in strategic optimism and vague platitudes, few riders—especially team leaders—are willing to admit defeat so early. Stage 4 is far from the decisive point in the Tour, yet Mas’s words sounded like those of a man who has seen the writing on the wall.

It’s not just the 32 seconds. It’s the psychological unraveling. Pogacar and Evenepoel didn’t just ride away from Mas—they broke his rhythm, his resolve, and perhaps his entire game plan. Remco’s mid-stage surge seemed perfectly timed to isolate Mas, who had no teammates left to shield him. Pogacar, calm and devastating as ever, didn’t even need to launch a full attack. His presence alone appears to have destabilized the Spaniard.

Movistar’s struggles are not new. In recent seasons, the team has failed to adapt to the super-team model now dominated by UAE Team Emirates, Ineos, and Soudal–Quick-Step. While Mas has been a reliable top-ten GC contender, he has never quite delivered the killer instinct or late-race brilliance expected of a Tour-winning captain. His remarks after Stage 4 seem to confirm what many feared: the team lacks the depth, the strategy, and the mental steel to compete against the giants.

Spanish fans, who once rallied behind Alejandro Valverde and hoped Mas could carry the torch, are now left with an uncomfortable truth—this might not be a rebuilding year. It might be a breaking year.

Unless something changes drastically, Mas will be racing not for the podium, but for pride. Survival is a word no contender wants to utter after just four stages. Yet here we are.

As Pogacar and Evenepoel tighten their grip on the Tour, Enric Mas has become the first big name to publicly crack. Whether he recovers or spirals further could define not just his personal Tour, but Movistar’s identity moving forward.

The drama has only just begun.