Movistar Team has confirmed that Enric Mas will miss the 2026 UAE Tour after a training crash left the Spaniard requiring hospital treatment for a wound to his right hand.
In a brief medical update issued by the team, Mas was taken to hospital after the fall and received stitches to his hand. Movistar added that, following the relevant tests and diagnostic checks, no other issues have been detected at this stage, with further medical evaluations planned over the coming days.
With the injury and the need to monitor his recovery, Movistar said Mas will not take part in the UAE Tour.
A disruption at the worst time of year
For Mas, the timing is frustrating. The UAE Tour is one of the early season markers for general classification riders, a chance to sharpen form, race intensity and rhythm before the European stage-race block ramps up. Missing it does not define a season, but it does remove a valuable stepping-stone for a rider who often builds carefully towards his biggest objectives.
A rider who has spent too long fighting bad luck
Mas has been one of the most consistent stage-race climbers of his generation, but interruptions have also marked his recent seasons. Over the last couple of years, he has repeatedly had to rebuild after setbacks, with crashes and illness arriving at inconvenient moments, just as form and preparation were aligning.
That makes this latest incident feel less like a routine early-season mishap and more like another unwanted detour for a rider who has too often had to reset his plans.
Photo Credit: GettyThe level has never been the question
When Mas has been able to string together stable preparation, his ceiling is clear. He remains best known for his Vuelta a España record, where he has taken a stage win and finished runner-up three times, alongside winning the young riders classification on two occasions. He has also shown he can convert at the highest level beyond Spain, including overall victory at the Tour of Guangxi and a stage win at the Tour of the Basque Country, as well as a notable one-day success at Giro dell’Emilia.
Last season offered another reminder of his reliability in deep stage-race fields, with second overall at the Tour of the Basque Country and third overall at Volta a Catalunya, plus a podium at the Andorra MoraBanc Clà ssica and a top ten at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
What happens next
Movistar has not set a return date and, given the nature of the injury, the next steps are likely to be guided by healing, function and comfort rather than any fixed timetable. The immediate priority will be ensuring the hand wound settles properly, that there are no complications, and that Mas can get back to training safely before any racing plans are revisited.
For now, the UAE Tour goes on without him, and Movistar will have to reshuffle leadership and workload accordingly while they wait for clearer medical guidance in the days ahead.
