Last Friday, Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors) lay 12th overall at the Vuelta a Espaņa while taking daily doses of antibiotics. The 23-year-old Spaniard has been widely dubbed `the next Alberto Contador` but it seemed that any hope of a breakthrough Grand Tour performance would have to be postponed until next season. What a difference a week can make. His sickness now behind him, Mas has climbed no fewer than nine places in the space of five stages and must be pinching himself as he finds himself in a podium position just three days shy of Madrid. Mas` rise started on stage 13 - the first of three summit finishes in Asturias - where he finished `best of the rest` behind Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott). He was only a few seconds off the pace on stage 14 and finished alongside the big favourites at Lagos de Covadonga the following afternoon.ADVERTISEMENT Having cautiously set his sights on a place in the top 10 as he returned to health, by the first rest day he found himself sixth overall, but his rise has only accelerated in the subsequent 48 hours. He placed sixth on the stage 16 time trial to move above Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) - and provide the clearest indication yet that he possesses the all-around skillset required to win a Grand Tour. Finally, on Wednesday`s steep finish atop Monte Oiz, he was the first GC rider across the line and jumped onto the provisional podium. `I`m third, the team is doing a great job, so I`m happy,` Mas said succinctly as he warmed down on the rollers beyond the finish line at the top of the mountain. `I said that in the third week I`d go well and for the time being, yesterday and today I felt good. I didn`t know how the others would respond today, but luckily I responded a bit better.`
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