Mikel Landa happy with his role as Remco Evenepoel's super-domestique: "I have learned to know my place"

Since signing with Soudal - Quick-Step before the start of this past 2024 season, Mikel Landa has found happiness on the bike again. In one of his latest statements, the Basque rider confirmed this.

Landa signed with the Belgian team to be Remco Evenepoel's main support rider in the races in which they both competed. But especially for the Tour de France. That was Quick-Step's main goal with the 34-year-old, and he delivered in style, helping his leader to the final podium. He also rounded out his performance with a 5th place finish in the overall itself.

Mikel Landa is happy in his new role as a domestique for Soudal - Quick-Step. In words collected by El Correo, the Basque rider makes no effort to hide how comfortable he feels with this new stage of his career, as he feels much less pressure. "I've learned to know my place, my fight and my aspirations, and to race," Landa explains.

"In the Tour de France I felt comfortable because Evenepoel had to stick with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard," he adds, while he was free to move around in the peloton. His enormous mental maturity is reiterated with a phrase that is the key to everything: "The most important thing in a team is not to form small groups".

With this role of Evenepoel's domestique, in which he has settled at Soudal - Quick-Step, Mikel Landa also knows that his own opportunities come. The Belgian doesn't ride everything, and the last Vuelta a Espana is a perfect example. The Basque climber was the team leader in the fight for the general classification. Only a bad decision by Soudal in the last week left him out of the fight. Even so, he finished inside the Top 10 without a problem.

By 2025, Landa will have several important races in which he can stand out on his own. But he knows that the crucial thing will be, for another year, to arrive in top form at the Tour de France to help Remco Evenepoel, this time to go and fight for the victory.