"I definitely want to go for it" - Mikel Landa doesn't settle down for 5th place ahead of last decisive stage

After nineteen days of racing in the Vuelta a España, Mikel Landa, leader of Bahrain Victorious, is in fifth place in the overall ranking. A podium place no longer seems to be in the cards for the 33-year-old Basque. However, Landa does have good credentials to knock off compatriot Juan Ayuso from fourth place. In an interview with Es Ciclismo, the experienced home rider confirms that he is starting the 207 kilometer penultimate stage with confidence.

"Achieving a podium place seems to be difficult," Landa opens his story, referring to the dominance of Jumbo-Visma, which occupies the first three places in the battle for red with Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic. But fourth place is still possible. "I definitely want to go for it," he says ambitiously.

In 2015, the penultimate day of Spanish grand tour was characterized by a tough monster stage. It was the day that Tom Dumoulin had an off-day in the Madrid region and lost his leading position. On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the Vuelta a Espana will visit the same region again. "I have fond memories of that difficult day in 2015," Landa reflects. "This year the penultimate day is a bit different, because the climbs are different. They are now shorter and more explosive. Personally, I would have liked it better if we had also sought out some heavier mountains."

Like classification leader Kuss, Landa expects many teams to go all-in on Saturday. "I think there are quite a lot of like-minded people in the peloton and that they will be on the same page." Is a gap of 19 seconds to Ayuso too much? Landa suspects not. "Not necessarily. I think it's manageable. That's why I'm going to try anyway."