The 2020 season will mark the beginning of a new era for Movistar as the trio of Grand Tour contenders Nairo Quintana, Richard Calapaz, and Mikel Landa leave and are replaced by a group of primarily young riders, including 24-year-old GC rider Enric Mas.

Mas, along with veteran Alejandro Valverde and promising prospect Marc Soler, will form part of the new Grand Tour trio for next season. Mas ended his time with Dečuninck-Quick-Step on a high note with an overall win at the Tour of Guangxi.

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, Mas, at his first reception after moving to Movistar, compared the move to a homecoming, saying that as a Spanish rider moving to a Spanish team, a common language would be one of the multiple reasons for doing so.

"Being at Movistar is like being at home. 'I want to spend many years here. Living in Andorra with my teammates (there are about 10 of us), I already know what the team is like by the stories they tell me. It's been everything I hoped it would be.

"When I became a professional, [Valverde] was always there for me. There is nothing more I want in life. But it's different not only when I'm with Valverde, but also when I can speak my own language and express myself with people, as I have always done."

"Speaking English is not the same. I always had to translate with my colleagues, but now, for the first time, I get to tell jokes," he added, echoing a comment on Cycling News in China.

The victory in Guangxi, which came on the heels of a stage win in the rugged hilltop finish of the Nongla scenic area, was a disappointing season high for Mas. His debut in the Tour de France, his main goal, ended with a 22nd place finish, after finishing second in the previous season's Vuelta a España.

"Suffering at the Tour de France will benefit me in the future. I would rather that happen now than a few years from now."

Aside from that, he is having a good time at Deceuninck-QuickStep. Still, in China, Mas seemed eager to end the season and look to the future.

"I had some bad luck this year; I didn't win one race, but I won the last race of the year. I haven't worn the Quick-Step jersey in three years, four if you count my time with the Continental team (Klein Constantia). I wanted to run in my best form and I think I did that."

"After the race in China we all went home. We were tired from the trip, tired from the race, tired from everything. We said goodbye to our staff and colleagues. It was a good time, but now I'm focused on next year and all I can think about is 2020."

For Mas, the closest connection he established during his tenure with a team made up of players who spoke languages other than Spanish was with Philippe Gilbert. Mas, who ran for Alberto Contador's U23 Fundación Contador team and received advice from Valverde, seems to have had a mentor over the years.

"I think they all left the same mark on me, but with Philippe it was probably more than that. I learned something new every day with him. It was a master class."

"When you see how many years he's been [at the top] and still winning, it's spectacular. It's very difficult to sign a three-year contract at the age of 36 like he did. He is a professional from head to toe, a one-of-a-kind fellow and a great human being."

Leaving Gilbert and then Quick-Step for Movistar, Mas found himself in a completely different environment. In the Grand Tours, he will change from being a "one-man" rider to a team leader as co-leader. The pressure and responsibility will increase, but Mas says he will not run away from it.

"I'm not afraid of responsibility. I have always said I want to face big challenges, and here I will be able to do so. I haven't talked about the calendar yet. I will talk about it when we announce the team, but I have no doubt we can put together an attractive schedule.

"The main reason I changed teams is that I will have a great group of people to help me in the mountains. I wanted teammates who were as strong as I was so I could compete with my rivals. There were many other reasons, but this was one of the main ones."

"I'm going to take over from the leaders [Quintana, Calapaz, and Landa] and see what happens. All I can promise you is that I will give it my all. If we do that, you never know what will happen."