Mikel Landa is a man of the high mountains, however today he thrived at Flèche Wallone. The Basque was the best performer of a strong Bahrain - Victorious team and managed to race up the steep Mur de Huy into third place at the finish line, in sight of Tadej Pogacar.
"I am super happy. After the Tour of the Basque Country I was a bit sick. I therefore started today with little confidence. Maybe I could have finished second, but beating Pogacar was definitely not an option. All in all, I'm very happy with third place," Landa said in a post-race interview. An outsider, Landa reserved his bullets for the final ascent of the Mur.
Focusing on the Tour de France this year he's had more freedom to hit high form throughout the spring, which he has put to great use. After finishing second at the Volta a Andalucia and Itzulia Basque Country, seventh at Tirreno-Adriatico and fifth at the Volta a Catalunya, Landa now achieves another strong result.
Proving he's still in the prime of his performance, the 33-year old tackled the Mur de Huy impressively, crossing the line in third spot alongside Tadej Pogacar and Mattias Skjelmose, gapping the rest of the competition. "It is what it is, he is a very good rider. It is very difficult to beat him," he said of the Slovenian.
"Today's performance gives me a lot of confidence for Liège. I expect a tougher course than today. Moreover, Remco returns, so I expect a big battle between him and Pogacar. Maybe we can benefit from that," Landa concluded.
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