Mikel Landa Meana (born 13 December 1989) is a Spanish Basque professional road cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Soudal–Quick-Step.[6] His career breakthrough came at the 2015 Giro d'Italia where he won two stages and finished third overall.
 Landa at the 2022 Giro d'Italia | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mikel Landa Meana |
| Born | 13 December 1989 Murgia, Spain |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] |
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb)[1] |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Soudal–Quick-Step |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Climber |
| Professional teams | |
| 2009–2010 | Orbea |
| 2011–2013 | Euskaltel–Euskadi[2] |
| 2014–2015 | Astana |
| 2016–2017 | Team Sky |
| 2018–2019 | Movistar Team[3][4] |
| 2020–2023 | Bahrain–McLaren[5] |
| 2024– | Soudal–Quick-Step |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Career
editEarly career
editLanda was born in Murgia (Álava), in the Basque Country in northern Spain.[7] Like many Basque cyclists he began his career at the Orbea development team, in 2009, before graduating to the Euskaltel–Euskadi professional team in 2011. After three years with the Euskaltel–Euskadi squad, Landa left the team at the end of the 2013 season – due to its disestablishment – to join Astana.[8] In 2018, as president of the Euskadi Cycling Foundation, a new UCI Continental squad Fundación Euskadi was established, with expectations of returning to the top races.[9]
Astana (2014–2015)
editLanda won a stage of the 2014 Giro del Trentino before riding the Giro d'Italia as one of Fabio Aru's mountain domestiques. He helped Aru to finish third overall.
2015 season
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In 2015, Landa attacked from a breakaway on the final climb of the day to win the fifth stage of his home race, the Tour of the Basque Country.[10] Landa rode the Giro d'Italia, again initially as a domestique for Aru. On Stage 8, the second mountain top finish of the race to Campitello Matese, Landa finished second after following an attack by Aru, and then unsuccessfully chasing after leader Beñat Intxausti (Movistar Team) in an attempt to win the stage. By doing so Landa rose to fifth place overall, 42 seconds down on leader Alberto Contador (Tinkoff–Saxo).[11] Landa rose to third overall on Stage 10, when Richie Porte (Team Sky) was given a time penalty for accepting a wheel change from Orica–GreenEDGE rider Simon Clarke.[12] On Stage 14, a 59.4-kilometre (36.9-mile) individual time trial, Landa was caught on the road by Contador, losing over three minutes to him, and dropped to seventh overall, 4 minutes 55 seconds back. However, the next day, Landa won the mountainous Stage 15 after attacking Contador on the final climb to Madonna di Campiglio, and proving stronger than Aru, who he finished six seconds ahead of.[13]
Stage 16 was the queen stage of the race with five Italian Alpine peaks, including the Tonale Pass, the Mortirolo Pass and a mountain finish to Aprica. On the first of two climbs to Aprica, Contador suffered a mechanical problem, after which Team Katusha and Astana immediately pressed on the pace at the front, sparking a bit of controversy over respect and fair play.[14] After a long chase Contador eventually caught up with Landa, Aru and Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL–Jumbo) on the Mortirolo after being 52 seconds down at the start of the climb. Contador then counter-attacked, with Landa proving stronger than Aru, who was unable to follow the move. Landa rode away on the final ascent to Aprica, winning his second stage in a row by 38 seconds over Kruijswijk and Contador. Aru finished 2 minutes and 51 seconds behind, and thus Landa moved ahead of his teammate to second overall.[15] However, on Stage 19 it was Aru who proved the stronger of the two, attacking on the final climb to Breuil-Cervinia and taking 1 minute and 18 seconds on Contador and Landa, who did not respond to his move. On Stage 20, the last mountain stage, Landa attacked on the Colle delle Finestre, taking the Cima Coppi for crossing the highest point of the race in the lead as he crossed the summit with Ilnur Zakarin (Team Katusha), a minute ahead of Aru and a minute and a half ahead of Contador. However, Landa waited for Aru on the descent, and the pair were unable to take sufficient time from Contador on the remainder of the stage, before Aru attacked on the final climb to Sestriere to win the stage. Although Contador lost two and a half minutes, he kept the maglia rosa with a lead of 2' 02" over Aru to win the Giro, with Landa finishing third overall 3 minutes 14 seconds back.[16]
Landa rode the Vuelta a España again in support of Aru, after Astana's other leader Vincenzo Nibali was disqualified on the second stage for holding onto a team car. Landa won the mountainous stage 11 from Andorra la Vella to Cortals d'Encamp from the breakaway, ignoring team orders to drop back and assist Aru.[17] However, Landa did work for Aru during the rest of the race as Aru traded the race lead with Tom Dumoulin (Team Giant–Alpecin), and played a key role in the decisive move on stage 20 when he and Aru dropped Dumoulin on the penultimate climb before being joined by teammates from the breakaway to ride away from Dumoulin, who lost over three minutes and thus the Vuelta to Aru.
Team Sky (2016–2017)
editIn September 2015 Landa confirmed that he would join Team Sky for the 2016 season.[18]
2016 season
editAfter missing several early season races through illness, Landa made his first appearance for Team Sky at the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali, finishing 11th overall.[19] Landa then rode his home race, the Tour of the Basque Country, where he won the second stage to take the race lead.[20] Landa led Team Sky at the Giro del Trentino in his last warm up race before the Giro d'Italia. He won Stage 2 to take the race lead, and successfully defended it on the following two stages despite attacks from Astana duo Tanel Kangert and Jakob Fuglsang to take overall victory by a single second over Kangert.[21] Landa abandoned the Giro d'Italia part-way through Stage 10 after being hampered by illness overnight and being diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis. This came just a day after he had impressed in the Stage 9 individual time trial, after which he was sitting in 8th place overall.[22] Landa was named in the start list for the Tour de France.[23] He helped Chris Froome win the race for a third time by acting as a mountain domestique.
2017 season
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In January 2017 it was announced that Landa would share leadership with Geraint Thomas at the Giro d'Italia.[24] However, on stage 9, as the peloton approached the final climb of the day to Blockhaus, Wilco Kelderman of Team Sunweb collided with a stationary police motorcycle, that caused him to swerve to his right into the Sky riders, which resulted in Landa and the majority of his team mates being brought down.[25] Landa was able to remount and continue, but he finished almost 27 minutes down on the stage winner, Nairo Quintana.[26] With his hopes of a high overall finish in the race over, Landa rode aggressively in several breakaways in the mountains. He finished third on Stage 14 and won his second Cima Coppi on Stage 16, beating Igor Antón (Team Dimension Data) to the summit of the Stelvio Pass.[27] Later in the stage he was in the breakaway group at the front of the race and with about 25 kilometres (16 miles) to go in the stage he dropped his breakaway companions Jan Hirt and Steven Kruijswijk. He was caught by Vincenzo Nibali on the descent from the final climb and the two remained clear to the finish in Bormio; Nibali out-sprinted Landa for the stage victory, but Landa took the lead of the mountains classification.[28] Landa finished second again on stage 18, losing by a bike length to Tejay van Garderen,[29][30] but won the following stage to the ski resort of Piancavallo, securing an unassailable lead in the mountains classification.[31]
Landa was named in the start list for the Tour de France, initially as a mountain domestique for Chris Froome. On Stage 12 which finished with a short steep climb to Peyragudes, Landa finished fourth, five seconds behind stage winner Romain Bardet whilst Froome came seventh, 22 seconds down on Bardet.[32] On Stage 13, Landa was part of a four man breakaway with Warren Barguil, Quintana and Alberto Contador. Barguil won the stage, with the quartet finishing 1:39 ahead of the other overall contenders.[33] On Stage 15, Froome suffered a broken spoke on the Peyra Taillade climb, but with some assistance from Landa and other teammates, he was able to chase back up to the group before the summit.[34][35] Landa ultimately placed fourth behind Froome, Rigoberto Urán and Bardet, finishing just 1 second behind Bardet in third.[36]
On 29 July, one week after the end of the Tour de France, Landa placed fifth in a five-rider group sprint in the Clásica de San Sebastián, which was won by teammate Michał Kwiatkowski.[37] The following week, Landa took overall victory at the Vuelta a Burgos, as well as winning two stages and the points and mountains classifications.
Movistar Team (2018–2019)
edit
On 15 August 2017, it was announced that Landa had signed with Movistar Team for a two-year contract, commencing in 2018.[3] Landa took his first victory of 2018 on Stage 4 of Tirreno–Adriatico, after attacking on the mountain top finish at Sarnano Sassotetto.[38]
During the 2019 season he earned top 10 finishes in Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Tour of the Basque Country, while also finishing fourth overall at the Giro d'Italia – losing a podium placing by eight seconds to Primož Roglič,[39] following the final stage individual time trial – and sixth overall at the Tour de France.[40]
Bahrain–McLaren (2020–2023)
editIn August 2019, Landa confirmed that he had signed with the Bahrain–Merida team, later renamed as Bahrain–McLaren, for the 2020 season.[5]
In his opening race of the 2020 season, Landa finished third overall at February's Vuelta a Andalucía, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic-enforced stoppage of racing. After finishing second overall at the Vuelta a Burgos,[41] Landa was Bahrain–McLaren's team leader at the Tour de France. Having entered the top ten overall following stage 9, Landa moved up the general classification in the final week of the race.[42] Attacking late on mountain stages and being assisted in the mountains by Damiano Caruso he eventually finished fourth-place finish.
Landa started his 2021 season – with the renamed Team Bahrain Victorious – with a trio of Italian races, including Tirreno–Adriatico, where he finished third overall. He again finished in the top ten overall at the Tour of the Basque Country, ahead of the Giro d'Italia. On stage 5, Landa was involved in a crash within the final 5 kilometres (3.1 miles). Another rider hit a race marshall at a traffic island and caused the incident which forced him to abandon the race after being diagnosed with fractures to his left clavicle and multiple ribs.[43]
He started off 2022 showing good form, taking the final podium spot in Tirreno–Adriatico.
He entered the 2022 Giro d'Italia with intentions of a high place in the general classification. Midway through the second week he had the requisite first week luck and was in a top 10 position within +0:30 of the lead, fighting with Carapaz, Almeida, Hindley and Nibali for the win. On stage 17 Landa launched the final attack of the stage among the GC riders. Almeida and Nibali were both dropped by over a minute as Landa lost a few seconds to Hindley and Carapaz at the end of the stage.[44] On stage 20 the race was decided on the final high mountain, the Passo Fedaia. Landa was able to gain about thirty seconds over Carapaz but Hindley dropped them both and essentially won the Giro. Going into the final ITT Landa's place on the podium was secured as the 4th place rider, Nibali, was more than +5:00 behind him.
Soudal QuickStep
editIn August 2023, Landa signed with Soudal–QuickStep beginning in 2024. Soudal signed him to boost Remco Evenepoel’s bid in the Tour de France.[45] Landa rode in the 2024 Tour de France, where he finished fifth overall.
Major results
edit- 2010
- 5th Overall Tour de l'Avenir
- 10th Overall Ronde de l'Isard
- 2011 (1 pro win)
- Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 5
- 1st
- 2012
- 2nd GP Miguel Induráin
- 7th Overall Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid
- 7th Vuelta a La Rioja
- 2013
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a Asturias
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
- 2nd Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid
- 6th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 6th Clásica de San Sebastián
- 2014 (1)
- 10th Overall Giro del Trentino
- 1st Stage 4
- 2015 (4)
- Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 11
Combativity award Stage 11
- 1st Stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country
- 1st Stage 2 (TTT) Vuelta a Burgos
- 2nd Overall Giro del Trentino
- 3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Azzurri d'Italia classification
- 1st Stages 15 & 16
- 2016 (3)
- 1st
Overall Giro del Trentino
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 2
- 1st
- 1st Stage 2 Tour of the Basque Country
- 2017 (4)
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stages 1 & 3
- 1st
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 19
- 1st
- 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 4th Overall Tour de France
- 5th Overall Tour of the Alps
- 5th Clásica de San Sebastián
- 6th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 2018 (1)
- 2nd Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 6th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 1st Stage 4
- 6th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 7th Overall Tour de France
- Combativity award Stage 19
- 2019 (1)
- 4th Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
- 1st Stage 2
- 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 6th Overall Tour de France
- Combativity award Stage 15
- 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 2020
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 4th Overall Tour de France
- 2021 (1)
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 3rd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 3rd GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
- 6th Trofeo Laigueglia
- 8th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 2022
- 3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 3rd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 3rd Giro di Lombardia
Combativity award Stage 8 Vuelta a España- 2023
- 2nd Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
- 5th Overall Vuelta a España
- Combativity award Stage 6
- 5th Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 7th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 2024
- 2nd Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 5th Road race, National Road Championships
- 5th Overall Tour de France
- 8th Overall Vuelta a España
- 10th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
General classification results timeline
edit| Grand Tour general classification results | |||||||||||||
| Grand Tour | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia
|
— | — | 34 | 3 | DNF | 17 | — | 4 | — | DNF | 3 | — | — |
 Tour de France
|
— | — | — | — | 35 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 19 | 5 |
 Vuelta a España
|
69 | 39 | 28 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | 15 | 5 | 8 |
| Major stage race general classification results | |||||||||||||
| Stage race | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
 Paris–Nice
|
Has not contested during his career | ||||||||||||
 Tirreno–Adriatico
|
80 | — | — | — | — | 31 | 6 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 7 | — |
 Volta a Catalunya
|
— | 33 | 36 | 47 | — | DNF | — | — | NH | — | — | 5 | 2 |
| Tour of the Basque Country
|
— | DNF | 14 | 22 | 12 | — | 2 | 7 | 8 | — | 2 | DNF | |
| Tour de Romandie
|
35 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
 Critérium du Dauphiné
|
83 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | 22 | 10 |
| Tour de Suisse
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | NH | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| NH | Not held |
| IP | In progress |
References
edit- ^ a b "Mikel Landa". Movistar Team. Movistar Team. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ^ "Basque Country's Euskaltel present UCI World Tour team". EITB. EiTB Group. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
The Basque backbone remains with Samuel Sanchez, Igor Anton, Ion Izagirre, Mikel Landa, Gorka Izagirre, Pello Bilbao, Mikel Astarloza and Mikel Nieve.
- ^ a b "Mikel Landa to leave Team Sky and join Nairo Quintana at Movistar in 2018". The Guardian. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ "Movistar Team launches 2019 season with highest hopes". Telefónica. Telefónica, S.A. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Mikel Landa signs for Bahrain Merida". Cycling News. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ "Soudal Quick-Step". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "El pueblo de Mikel Landa ya es el pueblo de Unai Simón" [Mikel Landa's village is now Unai Simón's village]. El País (in Spanish). 4 July 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Corsi, Luca (10 August 2013). "Mikel Landa, al Astana" [Mikel Landa, to Astana]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Grupo Vocento. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Belbin, Giles (October 2018). "Jersey Tales No6: Euskaltel-Euskadi. With rider development as its core purpose, the Basque outfit built a cult following during its time in the pro ranks". Cyclist: The thrill of the Ride.079: 35–36.
- ^ Daniel Benson (10 April 2015). "País Vasco: Landa wins penultimate stage". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Giro d'Italia: Intxausti wins stage 8 summit finish at Campitello Matese". cyclingnews.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29.
- ^ "Giro d'Italia: Richie Porte docked two minutes". cyclingnews.com. 19 May 2015.
- ^ Stephen Puddicombe (24 May 2015). "Astana unable to break Contador as Mikel Landa wins Giro d'Italia stage 15". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Sports & Leisure network. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ "Tinkov: I don't think Astana and Katusha showed any class". cyclingnews.com. 26 May 2015.
- ^ Richard Windsor (26 May 2015). "Mikel Landa takes second stage victory on gruelling day at Giro d'Italia". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Sports & Leisure network. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ "Giro d'Italia stage 20: Aru wins in Sestriere". cyclingnews.com. June 2019.
- ^ Fotheringham, Alasdair (3 September 2015). "Vuelta a España: 'I needed a win so I took my day,' says Mikel Landa". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Clarke, Stuart (16 September 2015). "Mikel Landa confirms he will ride for Team Sky in 2016". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Landa puts doubts to bed after finally starting his season – Cyclingnews.com". 29 March 2016.
- ^ "Mikel Landa climbs into overall lead in Tour of the Basque Country – Cycling Weekly". 5 April 2016.
- ^ "Giro del Trentino 2016: Stage 4 Results – Cyclingnews.com". 22 April 2016.
- ^ "Landa abandons Giro d'Italia – Cyclingnews.com". 17 May 2016.
- ^ "2016 > 103rd Tour de France > Startlist". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ "Thomas and Landa to have joint leadership of Team Sky at Giro d'Italia – Cyclingnews.com". 11 January 2017.
- ^ "Giro d'Italia: Thomas, Landa & Yates crash en route to Blockhaus". Cyclingnews.com. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Windsor, Richard (14 May 2017). "Nairo Quintana wins on Blockhaus as Giro d'Italia stage nine marred by motorbike crash". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Giro d'Italia: Landa goes close after conquering the Stelvio – Cyclingnews.com". 23 May 2017.
- ^ O'Shea, Sadhbh (23 May 2017). "Nibali wins queen stage of Giro d'Italia". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-14. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Emotional Tejay van Garderen claims stage 18 in sprint finish". The Guardian. 25 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
- ^ Brown, Gregor (26 May 2017). "Mikel Landa: 'All aspirations were lost in one second, but knew I could still get something the Giro' [sic]". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Barry (13 July 2017). "Tour de France: Bardet wins stage 12 as Froome loses yellow to Aru". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Wynn, Nigel (14 July 2017). "Fabio Aru fends off Chris Froome's attacks to retain Tour de France lead as Warren Barguil wins stage". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ Wynn, Nigel (16 July 2017). "Chris Froome's Tour de France lead put under serious pressure as Mollema wins chaotic stage". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ Fotheringham, William (16 July 2017). "Tour de France: Chris Froome gives 'maximum' after broken spoke". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Tour de France: Froome seals overall in time trial, Uran tops Bardet". Cyclingnews.com. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ Windsor, Richard (29 July 2017). "Michal Kwiatkowski wins Clásica San Sebastián 2017". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ Farrand, Stephen (10 March 2018). "Landa benefits from Movistar marginal gain to win at Tirreno–Adriatico". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Hood, Andrew (2 June 2019). "Landa philosophical after losing a second grand tour podium spot by seconds". VeloNews. Pocket Outdoor Media, LLC. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Fotheringham, Alasdair (27 July 2019). "Landa: I'll be back at the Tour de France to fight again". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Fotheringham, Alasdair (2 August 2020). "Mikel Landa: I'm more confident of my form after Burgos". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Ostanek, Daniel (19 September 2020). "Mikel Landa ends first Tour de France as sole team leader on a high". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Farrand, Stephen (12 May 2020). "Mikel Landa out of Giro d'Italia after crash on stage 5". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Hood, Andrew (25 May 2022). "Giro d'Italia: Mission accomplished for Mikel Landa in slow burn for pink". Velo News by Outside Magazine. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ "Mikel Landa joins Soudal-QuickStep to boost Evenepoel's 2024 Tour de France ambitions". 16 August 2023.
External links
edit
- Mikel Landa at Cycling Archives (archived)
- Mikel Landa at ProCyclingStats
- Mikel Landa profile at Euskaltel–Euskadi (in Spanish)
