"I don’t see Tadej Pogacar struggling" - Mikel Landa shares his thoughts on time trial-heavy 2027 Tour de France
Cycling
Mikel Landa was one of the few pro cyclists who made the trip to Paris for the presentation of the 2027 Tour de France. The Basque rider is unlikely to take part in the race, but shared his opinion on what he expects to be a Tadej Pogacar-dominated race.
"It’s a very difficult course; you have to be a highly well-rounded rider," Landa said, as reported by Cyclism'Actu. The Basque rider signed with Euskaltel - Euskadi for the 2027 season, and the team recently confirmed their place in the Top30 of the UCI rankings, assuring the potential of netting wildcards for the upcoming season. The race will also have a start in the Basque Country on stage 19, the final mountain stage of the race.
"The two time trials add up to more than 70 kilometers in total," Landa commented on. "The terrain is quite flat, so it’s really a course for specialists—very different from what we saw last year, which featured only one individual time trial and a team time trial. That’s going to make a huge difference".
At his prime, a course that would see Landa struggle usually, with the route heavily favouring the time trialists. The mountain stages will come later in the race, but nevertheless with both these changes, Landa doesn't see a different outcome to what he expects to be a Pogacar-led Tour.
"In recent years, we’ve seen that the gaps are created in the mountains. Even with this many kilometers of time trialing, I don’t see Tadej Pogacar struggling; he will undoubtedly be right there in the mix."
Mikel Landa in Paris for the 2027 Tour de France presentation
Landa on British Grand Depart
The veteran was also asked about the Grand Depart in Great Britain, which will feature a few tense stages in which not many gaps are expected, meaning many riders will swarm the head of the peloton in pursuit of results.
"With the Grand Départ in England (Great Britain, ed.), we’ll see huge crowds lining the roads to cheer on the riders. If it’s anything like 2014, it will be magnificent."
"The first stage is for the sprinters—it’s a unique setup," he added. "It’s not an easy stage; it’s still quite tough, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to claim the first yellow jersey".
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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