Now that Remco Evenepoel has moved to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Mikel Landa, at 36, may be Soudal Quick-Step's most important Grand Tour leader. The experienced climber has a clear goal in mind for 2026: he's aiming for sporting revenge in the upcoming Giro d'Italia.
For those who might have forgotten: Landa also started this year's Giro d'Italia with GC ambitions, but things went wrong for the Spaniard in the opening stage. During a heavy crash in the final kilometers of the stage to Tirana, Landa fractured a vertebra, was sidelined for a long time, and upon his return to racing, never regained his top form.
The two-time Giro podium finisher continued to struggle with back problems after his comeback, but now Landa feels much better. He is therefore looking ahead to the new racing season with considerable optimism. The Soudal Quick-Step rider already has a rough outline of his race schedule.
Different role in the Tour de France
"The plan is to start at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. After that, I will focus on the Tour of Catalonia, the Tour of the Basque Country, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de France," he explains in an interview with the Basque paper Deià.
"We still have unfinished business with the Giro d'Italia after what happened this year," he says. "I hope it will go better this time. And regarding the Tour de France: I will have the freedom to go for stage wins. I won't focus on the overall classification. I'm looking forward to this dual role."
With Evenepoel gone, Landa will have to take the lead again in Grand Tours. "It's true that the team is going back to how it used to be: fighting for sprint stages and the classics. But, there are also riders stepping up who want to compete for success in stage races. I can help them with that," concludes the Basque rider.
Mikel Landa Meana| Race | Date |
|---|---|
| Volta Comunitat Valenciana | 4 Feb - 8 Feb |
| Volta Ciclista a Catalunya | 23 Mar - 29 Mar |
| Itzulia Basque Country | 6 Apr - 11 Apr |
 Giro d'Italia | 9 May - 31 May |
 Tour de France | 4 Jul - 26 Jul |
