Landismo well and alive following storming performance at Il Lombardia - "I came here in good shape"

Mikel Landa had given virtually no signs ahead of Il Lombardia, however he put the competition on blast as he soared up Civiglio, and rode into the podium of the Italian monument, a great result for Bahrain - Victorious.

Landa led a team that included Matej Mohoric, Damiano Caruso, Gino Mäder and Wout Poels. A quintet that could do damage, however no-one had given signs of being able to fight for the podium before the race. As Mohoric rode into Civiglio at the head of the peloton it became clear that the Basque climber had good legs on the day, and that was proven at Civiglio.

“But I'm super happy with it. I really like this race, but I was never in good shape at the start," he said after the race. In the main ascent of the day, Civiglio, Landa was the only rider capable of matching with the duo of Tadej Pogacar and Enric Mas who filled the remaining podium spots. His sprint could not be counted on so to aim higher was difficult, but he kept a constant pace which had him cross the finish in third place.

This year I came here in good shape. I am happy with this result," he said of his performance. Landa managed to climb onto the podium, months after doing the same at the Giro d'Italia, hence concluding a successful season.

Over the retirement of his compatriot and former teammate Alejandro Valverde, Landa was thoughtful: “Today Valverde, the best Spanish rider of recent years, retires. Now we have two Spanish riders on the podium again, so that's good for Spanish cycling."