The 22-year-old Spaniard – who is currently racing his home Grand Tour – has signed a new agreement with the team.
Quick-Step Floors is excited to announce that Enric Mas has decided to extend his contract, which will see him ride in the team's colors until 2019. After joining our squad from Klein Constantia at the end of last year, Enric was given the perfect environment at Quick-Step Floors to find his place in the peloton and slowly but surely gain experience and flourish, without having on his shoulders any kind of pressure that would have burdened him.
The 22-year-old, who hails from Arta – a small, but charming town on the Balearic island of Mallorca – rose through the ranks since January and didn't waste any opportunity in showing the huge talent that recommended him for great results ever since his U23 days, when he was earmarked as a precocious talent, one of the most fascinating out there.
Finishing in the top 15 at the demanding Vuelta al Pais Vasco and Tour of California was only a sign for what was to come at the beginning of August, when Enric put in a remarkable display at the Vuelta a Burgos, concluding the race in second overall, ahead of many seasoned pros, while also taking home the best young riders classification, thus proving that his star is capable of shining brightly on the pro scene.
"I am really happy to have extended my contract with the team. It is my first season as a pro and no doubt I felt the leveling up, but I think I can be happy with how things have played out so far and I hope that if I keep progressing like now, step by step, at one point in the future I will be able to stay with the very best riders in the mountains. My hope for the years that lie ahead of me is to be able to ride for the general classification in a Grand Tour, but I am still young and right now my focus is to progress as a rider and learn as much as possible, and on this team I have the best conditions for just that."
"The squad is incredible, this year has been overwhelming with so many victories, and of course I want to contribute to that and dream about getting great results with Quick-Step Floors in the future. I was happy with my performance in Burgos, that I could be up there with the strongest in the mountains and finished on the podium, was something that really boosted my morale", continued Enric, who also talked of his impressive ride on stage 6 of the Vuelta a España, which saw him come very close of pulling off a resounding victory.
"My first Grand Tour has been a fantastic experience so far. On Thursday, I was in the breakaway, on a stage with a lot of very hard climbs, but my legs felt good and I finished on the podium; this result and the sensations I had give me a lot of confidence and motivation ahead of the next two tough weeks, where I look forward to continue the learning process, as well as helping my teammates", concluded the Spaniard.
"Enric really impressed us this season and we are delighted that he will continue to be part of the Quick-Step Floors family. He came aboard less than 12 months ago, but he already made a spectacular progression, which only underlines his talent and ambition. Being still very young and in the first part of his career, we don't know how far he can go and what are his limits, but now that he has signed a new contract with the team we will discover that in the years to come and I'm convinced that he has what it takes to amaze us all", said Patrick Lefevere, Quick-Step Floors' CEO.
Photo credit: ©BrakeThrough Media
