"It hurts me... they forget the results I had in the past" - Mikel Landa keen to dispel myth he only shines as super-domestique at 2024 Vuelta a Espana
Cycling
Mikel Landa is one of the big Spanish hopes at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. After the stage 1 individual time trial however, the Soudal - Quick-Step man already finds himself with some catching up to do having lost around 50 seconds on Primoz Roglic.
Although the time trial has never been a discipline in which Landa has excelled in, the Basque rider nevertheless entered the 2024 Vuelta a Espana high on confidence after a very strong Tour de France performance earlier this summer, helping team leader Remco Evenepoel to the podium and finishing 5th overall in his own right.
There remains an assumption though, that Landa can only excel when performing as a super domestique, rather than when given leadership himself. This is a myth the 34-year-old is looking to dispel at his home Grand Tour this time around. "It hurts me. Because they forget the results I had in the past when I was the leader," Landa explains to Marca. "I finished fourth in the Tour for the second time or when I finished third in the Giro for the second time as the team leader."
Landa does admit though that the pressures of leadership are something he is aware of. "I feel a lot of pressure," he admits, having finished 92nd in the stage 1 time trial around Lisbon. "It's a great opportunity. I have a good team at my disposal and I want to take advantage of it, let's see if I can do it."
Although the recently crowned double Olympic champion Evenepoel won't be present in Spain, Landa reveals he has been in conversation with the Belgian superstar. "We didn't talk much because I can imagine how busy his phone must be every day. One of the days he spoke to me. He wished me luck and told me that everything was going to go well," Landa explains. "It was incredible what he did. We enjoyed the Tour and then he did great in Paris."
Landa is having a great year, a slower start at this Vuelta but it did start with a short tt, in a few days it will be his time to shine.
Fourth as a domestique at 34 indicates that his potential was that of wining a GT and he did not win one because he went to team where he was not sole leader, did not have support or lost considerable time in the 1st week due to form, crash or other issues. He was responsible for his own failure
Being a sole leader doesn't mean he would have ever won. He benefited by not being the sole leader in every one of those scenarios.
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- Yep I think he must still be recovering from that crash last year. He has done well to get over that, but I would bet it will take some time yet to get back to peak pre-crash fitness. This latest "off" will not have helped.Cyclingsbestfan17-03-2025
- Doesn't mean anything. In 2023 he was only 3rd at Paris-Nice but then won the toursomeeffingname17-03-2025
- MSR is the race that brings the Spring', proper for better or worse...
leedorney17-03-2025 - Not sure that’s the whole story otherwise babies would be a lit more susceptible to nose bacteria too. Obviously cyclist breathe far more than average humans which should help keep things cleaner, on the other hand if you don’t clean your nose well or use an infected finger … and then why bacteria and not viruses? I would prepare mentally for more testing if this doesn’t solve things. Teeth and gums are the most overlooked entry point for infectious agents. Ears and eyes can also be easily contaminated.Mistermaumau17-03-2025
- Yeah, sorry, some people forget a few facts like him being in a similar age category as Tadej, Jonas, Remco, Tom and that there are plenty of promising younger riders developing too so it’s really quite far-fetched based on current givens.Mistermaumau17-03-2025
- If they learnt from 2024 MVDP/JP strategy, yes, possibleMistermaumau17-03-2025
- Name another race with 20 different winners in the last 30 years. This is probably the single most influential fact that points towards Tadej, or will it be Mads, or a « newcomer »?Mistermaumau17-03-2025
- Nobody asked you and you have very little future prediction precedent. 20 years ago no-one predicted Slovenian cycling domination, Tadej, Trump, Manchester United replaced by City, the recent serial UK Tory leadership or the drastic demise of German Olympic performance. Unfortunately JJ probably won’t be around much longer so can’t be held « accountable » if wrong.Mistermaumau17-03-2025
- Also, note how fast a counter article appeared, either naturally or as part of a comm. strategyMistermaumau17-03-2025
- Not sure, remember where he is saying it and what this person did for him. Perhaps he was coaxed into saying something to stimulate US interest or provocative to improve you know who’s media significance.Mistermaumau17-03-2025