“He came up against Pogacar at his very best” – Mikel Landa names Jonas Vingegaard Vuelta favourite but dodges questions on Evenepoel’s Quick-Step exit
Cycling
After three months out with injury, Mikel Landa returned to the peloton this week at the 2025 Vuelta a Burgos — and with it came the inevitable questions about leadership dynamics at Soudal - Quick-Step in the wake of Remco Evenepoel’s blockbuster move to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. But the veteran Basque climber wasn’t biting.
“I’m not thinking about that yet,” Landa told Diario AS when asked whether Evenepoel’s departure might open the door for him to assume a bigger role in Grand Tours. “Honestly, I came here [to Soudal - Quick-Step] with a different goal, and now’s not the time to be considering that.”
The comments came on Wednesday morning ahead of stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos, where the 34-year-old made a low-key but promising return following a serious crash on stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia back in May — a fall that left him with multiple fractures and a long road back to racing fitness.
“This isn’t the time for big dreams or jokes,” he said, clearly tempering expectations. “The goal is simply to be on the start line for La Vuelta. Nothing more than that. My plan here is to see how I’m feeling, find some rhythm, and start putting my last race behind me.”
Despite the cautious tone, Landa looked sharper than expected in the Burgos opener, finishing 13th and almost making the split on the punchy ascent to the Alto del Castillo. On Thursday he returns to more familiar terrain as the race tackles the mountains of Álava, including the climb to Orduña — practically home roads for Landa.
But while his comments on his own condition were pragmatic, Landa didn’t hesitate when asked who he sees as the favourite for this year’s Vuelta a Espana. The answer came quickly. “Jonas Vingegaard,” he nodded. “He had a great Tour, even though he came up against Pogacar at his very best. I still think he performed at a really high level, so yes, he’ll start La Vuelta as the favourite.”
Vingegaard ultimately finished second at the 2025 Tour de France, 4:24 behind Tadej Pogacar on GC, though the gap belied how evenly matched the two looked for most of the race. A couple of off-days cost the Dane dearly, but his form remains unquestionable — particularly with an eye toward Spain, where his ability to recover and peak again after the Tour has been proven.
Evenepoel and Landa has proven a strong double-act when racing together over the last couple of years
A shifting hierarchy at Quick-Step
Evenepoel’s long-anticipated transfer to Red Bull - BORA -hansgrohe was finally confirmed earlier this week, ending what has arguably been the most drawn-out transfer saga in recent cycling history. The Belgian, long seen as the face of Soudal - Quick-Step, will leave before the end of his contract for a team with deeper financial backing and grander long-term ambitions.
It leaves Quick-Step in a state of flux, and potentially opens the door for experienced riders like Landa to step into more prominent roles — at least temporarily. But if he has such ambitions, Landa is keeping them close to his chest. “At the moment I’m full of doubts,” he said, candidly. “I want to see how my back holds up, how my legs respond. I’m just taking it day by day.”
It’s a familiar sentiment from Landa, who has built a cult following around moments of brilliance interspersed with injury setbacks and tactical misfortune. Still, in a post-Evenepoel landscape, Quick-Step may need to lean on that experience more than ever — particularly if he makes it to the Vuelta start line with decent legs. Until then, the Basque veteran is keeping it simple: rebuild, race, and let the legs do the talking.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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