Mikel Landa aiming for João Almeida's fourth place at Tour de France: "If I can look out for my classification, I will take advantage of it"

Mikel Landa has ridden through safely the 18th stage of the Tour de France and remains in fifth position. The Basque rider has been racing a virtually perfect Tour thus far and his ambitions do not end in his current position; if he has the legs he will attempt to attack João Almeida's fourth place tomorrow in the brutal stage into Isola 2000.

Landa had a pretty calm day in the peloton with no action, saving the legs for the remaining key stages of the race in the Alps. He was asked about his compatriot Oier Lazkano who was in the battle for the stage win and lamented the lack of a result in the finish line: "Too bad he couldn't finish it off." The veteran climber and Remco Evenepoel had a different mission in the peloton and Soudal - QuickStep kept it's powder dry. On the weekend, not only Landa, but also possibly Remco Evenepoel will look to make moves in the overall classification if he can distance Jonas Vingegaard as was the case in stage 17.

Then he talked about what could happen in these last three remaining stages. On the one hand he hopes that Remco Evenepoel, his team leader at Soudal Quick-Step, could fight with Jonas Vingegaard for second place and, on the other hand, if his duties as a luxury domestique allow him to do so, maintain his place in the general classification:

Landa, who has twice finished in fourth place at the Tour (in 2017 and 2020) could repeat the feat once again, if he can repeat his climbing performance of Plateau de Beille. "A little bit of everything can happen. Hopefully Remco will get close to second and contest it. I'm there to watch Remco, although if I can look out for my classification I'll take advantage of it."