Mikel Landa enters the fight for Vuelta victory: "I was very scared today, but happy to be close to Roglic and Mas"
Cycling
Stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 has proved to be a success for the favorites in the general classification who were looking to remove some time off Ben O'Connor's GC lead. Primoz Roglic and Enric Mas are the closest, but Mikel Landa is also close thanks to a great performance on the day.
The Soudal - Quick-Step leader is now 5th overall, 5 minutes and 13 seconds behind O'Connor, but with Roglic (1 minute and 24 seconds) and Mas (44 seconds) relatively close considering there is still a long Vuelta to go.
Regarding his feelings about stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana, in words for the microphones of TVE, Landa explains that he felt a lot of respect for the challenge that was presented to him, and that he is happy to have resolved it so well: "I'm very happy. I was very scared today. The heat affected me a lot, like everyone else. But I'm happy to be so close to Roglic and Enric."
"The finish was very explosive, very agonizing. I remembered it from 2015 but it was a bit shorter that year," added a visibly exhausted Mikel Landa after all the effort under the intense heat of La Vuelta that is giving hardly any respite.
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To conclude, Mikel Landa points out his obvious desire to be in the fight for the overall at the end of the race, and to do so against the leaders of Red Bull and Movistar Team: "Hopefully the favorites will end up being us (referring to himself, Primoz Roglic and Enric Mas). But there's a lot of Vuelta a Espana left and O'Connor is also a strong rider."
Between Landa and the duo of Roglic and Mas is only Antonio Tiberi who is fourth with only 13 seconds ahead of the Quick-Step Basque rider.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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🎙️ Mikel Landa, contento por estar tan cerca de Roglic y de Mas. Una etapa a la que tenía miedo por el calor, pero no alza las campanas al vuelo porque ''O'Connor es un corredor de fondo''
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