Mikel Landa excited for third week: "I hope to be able to use all this experience"

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.