Mikel Landa (Quick Step) faced his eighth participation in the Vuelta a España after his fifth place in Tour de Francewhere he showed the state of form that if he can repeat today in the Spanish round, Alavés will not even put aside competing for the red jersey.
“Winning will be a big word. This year I already have a big foot in my legs and I don’t know how my body will react. I have a little fear, but hey, if I’m like me. in the Tour it can be, it can be a fight for the red jersey “said Landa at the team hotel outside Lisbon.
At 34 years old, another opportunity presents itself for a rider who stands out in the Tour as gregarious of Evenepoel, and he was also fifth overall. In the 2023 Vuelta he reached the same position. Now he will be the leader of the team and “a little pressure” will be with him.
“I noticed a bit of pressure being the leader, and the feeling that people wanted for me to do something important, for me to do well, for me to have the same form of the Tour,” he admitted.
“I came with enthusiasm, I don’t know how I am physically. After the Tour you disconnect a lot, and then it’s quite difficult to return to the tension of the competition. I think as the days go by I will feel good and hope I will have a good return”
A new opportunity as the leader of the ranks
Landa arrives with the peace of mind that he has carried out his Tour duty with flying colours, but if his form helps him, his goals could be surpassed.
“We focused on the season like this, I went to the Tour to help Remco and then here in the Vuelta I will have a chance. In the end the Tour went very well for me, so I came to the Vuelta with my homework done. “I’m not that old, let’s see if I have the strength to endure this Vuelta.”
Landa commented that he came “to the Tour calm, with a good team around him, so the Tour didn’t surprise me. I enjoyed it a lot, but it didn’t surprise me.”
Without the great stars of world cycling, Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoelthe Mungia cyclist considers that the Vuelta will be more open to guesswork.
“The race opens up a little more. I don’t think there is a clear favorite, maybe it is Roglic, who has won 3 Tours, who has more points of favoritism. Then the rest of us are very equal and the option to open the podium.”
Regarding his goals, Landa specified that he hopes “to be close to the podium and fight for several stages”, and if there is a choice “it is White Picon because of the proximity of the house, although the one in Lagos is also special, like the one here Cuitu Negru or Ancares“.
Regarding the final time trial in Madrid, Landa recalled his excellent performance in the Tour time trial, despite the fact that this modality was not exactly his strong point.
“The time trial went very well for me, I felt good from the morning, with a good feeling. It was a very hard time trial, it was practically up and down, and then everything was flat. I also arrived well in the The end of the Tour is the perfect test of time,” he said.
Landa hopes to get a “thorn” in the Vuelta a España, and this year could be the moment as the leader of a strong team.
“It’s been a long time since I competed there, since 2015, since then I didn’t participate until the 21st. It’s a race that I liked when I ran again and I would like to do well this year and have a leading role.”
Source: La Verdad
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