“I am happy that the time trial is short this year" - Mikel Landa confident of making Tour de France podium

Twice, in 2017 and 2020, Mikel Landa has finished fourth in the general classification of the Tour de France. With this year's edition of the race featuring very few individual time-trial kilometres, the Spaniard is confident of finally getting onto the podium.

“It would be a dream to get on the podium in a Tour de France that starts at my house,” the 33-year-old leader of Bahrain - Victorious told the Spanish newspaper Marca. “I am happy that the time trial is short this year and that it comes quite late in the round. It gives me wings that this Tour de France has so little to do against the clock.”

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar are widely expected to be battling it out for the Maillot Jaune but that third spot on the podium is seemingly wide open and as Landa says, if the two main favourites are overly concentrated on each other, the chance for the likes of Landa to even take a surprise victory could be possible.

"If it becomes a crazy race and they have doubts, then we can take advantage of that and attack," he explains. Also front and centre of Landa's mind will be Gino Mäder, after his teammates tragic death at the Tour de Suisse. “It would be nice to be able to dedicate a victory to him. He will be with us throughout the Tour.”