Mikel Landa to Euskaltel-Euskadi? Report suggests Basque rider may return home for 2027 season
CyclingSunday, 05 July 2026 at 20:12
The Tour de France has taken over the cycling world but behind the scenes, riders continue to work on their future and agents continue to put in the good word for their riders. One move however that seems likely to happen and did not need any softening up is that of Mikel Landa. The veteran looks set to return 'home' to Euskaltel - Euskadi.
Landa turned pro in 2019 with Orbea - Oreka SDA and the next year he moved up to the World Tour with Euskaltel - Euskadi. He raced with the team for three years, taking his first pro win and racing his first Grand Tour in the orange colours. But after the team's demise in 2013, the climber found other teams. His career involved stints at Astana and Team Sky, hitting the peak of his career throughout these years in terms of results and prominence in the peloton.
In 2018, he moved away from the big teams and joined Movistar, a move back to Spain where he found leadership once again. In 2018, Landa was one of the key parts in bringing back the team under its new name 'Fundacion Euskadi', which turned back into it's original Euskaltel name in 2020. The team races as ProTeam level, currently hosting 20 riders - the grand majority Basque - with a combination of experienced veterans and young riders making up its roster.
According to local news outlet Deia, there is already a verbal agreement for this transfer, only missing the official signing. Landa has spent two seasons with Movistar before racing for Bahrain - Victorious from 2020 to 2023; and most recently he has been part of Soudal - Quick-Step since 2024 where he was initially signed to be Remco Evenepoel's right-hand man in the mountains.
Mikel Landa has been a leader at Quick-Step but may soon head towards Euskaltel - Euskadi
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Landa has had what was arguably his best ever watts-based Grand Tour of his career in 2024, when he was fifth at the Tour de France. On that year, the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel all set the very best climbing performances of their careers. He was also eighth at the Vuelt a España later on.
In 2025 he was set to lead the team at the Giro d'Italia but crashed on the opening day and suffered fractured vertebrae, that would not only take him out of the race but disrupt his chances of aiming for GC in any of the other Grand Tours. Luck would not fall on the Basque rider's side this year either, as a fall at Itzulia Basque Country saw him suffer a pelvis fracture. Although he returned to the peloton at the Tour de Suisse, he neither raced the Giro d'Italia or Tour de France as initially planned.
Hence, the future now lays open for Landa, who is in contract year. In what should be the final years of the 36-year old's career, he may help support the team's ambitions - they currently sit 31st in the UCI rankings, one position below the required to apply for Grand Tours for that division's teams.
But above that, it may bring the team back into the spotlight, whilst Landa may also have a crucial role in the development and teaching of his teammates - whilst his past in the team's management suggests his future could also be related to it.
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.
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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)...
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Rafionain-Glas05-07-2026 - lolawp05-07-2026
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