Mikel Landa is no stranger to performing in the third week of a Grand Tour, and it is where he will have the opportunity in this Giro d'Italia to make the difference if he has the legs. He's going into it in fourth place just 59 seconds behind Richard Carapaz, and the Giro d'Italia win is still a goal.
"I have worked so hard to see myself as in this Giro… On Tuesday [stage 16] I think my race begins. We have experienced a heat that I did not remember in the Giro," he said at the end of stage 15 where the peloton rode conservatively to the finish on the first Alpine day. Landa has so far rode a consistent race, crashing en route to Blockhaus but finishing with the best, and only suffering a small loss at Torino where he couldn't manage to keep up with his main rivals.
His focus is clear though, as he enters his prefered terrain. “The last week we have some very tough stages, one after another and I'm sure the classification will change a lot. At 32 years old I am in a good condition, in a nice team and I hope to be able to use all this experience," Landa affirmed. Motivation is high, Bahrain - Victorious have a strong lineup and Pello Bilbao himself is a card to play for the GC - which may benefit Landa.
“I think that on Tuesday there is a really tough stage. Looking ahead to the last stage, riders like me who are distanced should start to recover. The last week I will put all my concentration on the GC," he concluded. Today will be a crucial test as the riders go into the longest mountain stage in the race, and also the one with the most climbing meters.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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