"This reminds you how cruel this sport is" - Mikel Landa still in pain following Itzulia crash; Tour de France still uncertain

Mikel Landa suffered a hard crash at Itzulia Basque Country. He escaped the one that left out his leader Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic because he was leading the peloton, but the next day in the first kilometers he went to the ground and had to leave the race with a neck brace in an ambulance.

Now, weeks later, the Soudal Quick-Step rider continues with his recovery and with discomfort. In an interview with Ciclo 21 he claims to still be in pain although he expects to race the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, his two big goals for 2024:

"I am sore. There are days when I'm better and others when I'm worse. Luckily, it's an injury I'm familiar with. I've broken my collarbone and ribs before. With a little patience everything will be fine and I'll be able to be in the Tour and Vuelta."

He regrets that the injury has come when he was in a great moment of form (he was second at the Volta a Catalunya behind Tadej Pogacar): "Mentally it was something I did not expect. I hadn't fallen for a long time, without a serious injury, and it came just when I least expected it. I was in a good moment of form, to be honest. I was really enjoying it, as I hadn't enjoyed it for a long time".

"I was having fun, I didn't care about anything, it was just the bike, having fun and attacking wherever. But well, this reminds you how cruel this sport is," said the rider from Alava, who should be Remco Evenepoel's key man in the upcoming Tour de France.