“We cannot make mistakes during the Tour” - Mikel Landa reveals how he is preparing for the Tour de France alongside Remco Evenepoel

Soudal - Quick-Step’s new signing Mikel Landa has revealed how he plans to support Remco Evenepoel in the build-up to his Tour de France debut this year. The Basque rider joined the team at the start of this year and has already been riding with Evenepoel at the team’s training camp in Calpe.

Landa’s role within the team is expected to be that of a super-domestique with some leadership opportunities throughout the year and to also act as a backup leader during the Tour de France, should Evenepoel fall out of contention in the overall standings or abandon the race altogether. This should be familiar to him, as he performed a similar role when riding for Chris Froome at Team Sky in 2016 and 2017.

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At 34 years old, Landa is an experienced rider with 20 Grand Tours under his belt and he knows the importance of having a strong relationship with his team leader. In an interview on the Castelli Podcast, he said “this year it is important to race more at the beginning with Remco to know each other better. I think it is important to spend time together, because we cannot make mistakes during the Tour”.

Landa’s relationships with his teammates has not always been the best at previous teams, with the main example being his rather public feud with Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde during his time at Movistar. Now in a different stage of his career, Landa seems content with his role in supporting Evenepoel at Soudal - Quick-Step, as he looks to guide him in the mountains and be a mentor to the young Belgian during the Grand Tours.

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Mikel Landa: "I will support Remco Evenepoel in the Tour de France and then I hope to be able to compete in the Vuelta a Espana"

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