In what has turned out to be a slightly embarrassing moment, Enric Mas (Movistar) confirmed on Sunday morning in Cervia before starting stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia, that he has been racing the majority of the Grand Tour in the women's team jersey after a clothing distribution mix-up. The Spaniard is making his Giro debut and said the accidental swap likely occurred due to him wearing a "small size" jersey.
"Maybe when they distributed the clothing, they swapped them," Mas said, speaking to L'Équipe. "Someone must have made a mistake, we don't know who, but it doesn't matter. I didn't check, I rode with it. But everything fit me, the bib shorts fit me. The only difference was the logo."
The error is actually quite hard to spot with some eagle-eyed TV viewers spotting it first. The difference is that, aside from slight fitting differences, the jersey says UCI Women's WorldTeam rather than just UCI WorldTeam. Mas said he was unaware of the issue until teammate Iván García Cortina pointed it out on Saturday evening. "We laughed a lot when we realised it," Mas said. See if you can spot the difference in the race image below...
Mas in the women's jersey, with 'UCI Women's Worldtour team' visible on the chest
He appeared at the stage 9 start line on Sunday wearing Movistar's correct men's kit, describing the episode as a simple "error" and "nothing special."
Mas's Giro debut continues off the pace
Mas arrived at the 2026 Giro as Movistar's designated GC leader. The team announced on May 5 that he would make his first appearance at the Italian Grand Tour, supported by a squad that was built to support him on all terrain. In a December 2025 interview, the 31-year-old, a three-time runner-up at the Vuelta a España, said he planned to target the Giro and La Vuelta as his main objectives for the season.
At the time of his comments on Sunday morning, Mas sat 27th overall. After stage 9, he slipped to 28th, now more than 13 minutes behind race leader Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) going into the second rest day.
Cover image credit: Gian Mattia D'Alberto / LaPresse
