“It’s a new race for me and I’m excited" - Mikel Landa opens 2025 season with first ever appearance at Strade Bianche
Cycling
Mikel Landa is one of the last remaining big-name stars yet to open up their 2025 season. We now know when and where the 35-year-old will make his seasonal bow though, with the Soudal - Quick-Step man confirmed for a first ever appearance at Strade Bianche on March 8th.
“It’s a new race for me and I’m excited, because I have always loved watching it on TV," previews the much-loved founder of 'Landismo' in a pre-race press release posted to the official website of the Soudal - Quick-Step team. "I know it will be completely different to be there on the course, in the thick of the action, and really nervous, but I will try to do my best as I get my season underway and just enjoy this experience.”
Landa has had plenty of success on Italian roads during the course of his career, winning three stages and a King of the Mountains at the Giro d'Italia, plus finishing on the final podium in 2022. With a stage of Tirenno-Adriatico coming in 2018 and the overall win at the Giro del Trentino back in 2016, Landa will be hoping for similar Italian success on his Strade Bianche debut.
“It’s one of the most beautiful, but also one of the hardest races of the season, and we are motivated to give our best and leave everything out there," adds Soudal Quick-Step sports director Davide Bramati. "It won’t be easy and we don’t start as the favourites, but we have a solid team that comes to the start after some strong outings last week, so we are confident in our chances of being involved in the fight for a nice result.”
Read also
Soudal - Quick-Step for Strade Bianche 2025
Mikel Landa
Mattia Cattaneo
Gianmarco Garofoli
Pepijn Reinderink
Pieter Serry
Mauri Vansevenant
Louis Vervaeke
Mattia Cattaneo
Gianmarco Garofoli
Pepijn Reinderink
Pieter Serry
Mauri Vansevenant
Louis Vervaeke
🚨 @MikelLandaMeana starts his season in just a couple of days at @StradeBianche, which he will race for the first time in his career 🤩
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) March 4, 2025
Read more about this: https://t.co/oRnqKdDpTn
Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/Kigfq98zsX
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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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- 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
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