Soudal - Quick-Step CEO doubts Giro organization to prevent Mikel Landa's fall: "With a simple ski net, the injuries would probably have been less serious"
Cycling
The Soudal - Quick-Step arrived to Giro d'Italia with primary goal of fighting for general classification with Mikel Landa. However the Basque didn't even finish the opening stage after a hard fall with five kilometers to go. Long recovery from fractured vertebrae means a heavy blow for the 35-year-old who had big goals for this summer.
"It hit me hard, the team hard and first and foremost Mikel himself: a top professional who faces a long rehabilitation due to the broken vertebra," Soudal - Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré tells HLN about the abandon of Landa. "He was our GC man in this Giro. Because of his fall we miss a lot of potential UCI points and publicity return for the sponsors."
Safety issue?
"Falls cannot always be avoided, but I want everything to be done to minimize the consequences of such a fall."
Is the organization to blame for the fall? "Not about the fall itself. Mikel told me from the hospital in Albania that he was riding on the right side of the road and the rider to his left swerved to the right, so that Mikel had no choice but to end up next to the road... In professional cycling that is called a racing incident, but the consequences of the fall and how to reduce or avoid it, do concern me."
The technical chicane was clearly a pinch point where falls could easily happen even in the reduced peloton. Yet it would've been quite easy for the organizers to secure this section and prevent riders from sliding all the way down onto local driveway, Foré points out.
"Mikel slid over a concrete edge after his fall. With a simple ski net, which shields this zone, the injuries would probably have been less. In the Flemish races, these points are now better protected, I hope that this will be the norm everywhere in the future."
Blow for Tour de France lineup
Landa was due to ride also the Tour de France this summer as domestique for hot favourite Remco Evenepoel, but that now seems off the table. "If Mikel can't ride the Tour, that's a shame, but we will recover some other strong riders for the Tour," Foré refers to Valentin Paret-Peintre who couldn't be at the start of Giro, but Tour could be possible for him. "He has already proven at his previous team for Ben O'Connor that he can be of service in the high mountains."
"Matteo Cattaneo, Ilan Van Wilder, Max Schachmann and Mauri Vansevenant can also go a long way uphill. Dries Van Gestel will normally have recovered from the broken wrist and elbow. He can be the rider in the Tour to keep Remco out of the wind on the flat. We have already seen ten (of our) riders drop out with fractures this year. Safety remains an important issue in cycling."
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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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- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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