Mikel Landa he absolutely doesn’t want to give in to bad luck and at 36 years old, after a very long series of accidents that forced him to make equally tiring recoveries, he is ready to put the pedal back on to compete with renewed passion in his sixteenth season among the professionals.
In detail, the coming year will see him once again focus on two major stage races but if in 2025 the veteran from Murgia had opted for the Giro-Vuelta combination, in 2026 his plans will first include the Pink Race and immediately following the Tour de France.
“The idea is to start with the Tour Valencian Community on February 4th. Then I’ll focus on Cycling Tour to Catalonia, Return to the Basque CountryGiro d’Italia and then the Tour de France” revealed the standard bearer of the Soudal Quick-Step to the Deia newspaper.
“We have a score to settle with the Corsa Rosa after what happened last year: let’s see if it goes better this time. In 2025 I showed up at the start with great enthusiasm and desire to do, I felt really good and the idea was spinning in my head that it would be my last chance, but everything went up in smoke on the first day. So next year I will try to still have a good overall rankingwhile with Paul Magnierwho will be the sprinter of the team, we will try to obtain partial victories” pointed out Landa who, at the Grande Boucle, will instead move in a different guise.
“At the Tour I will be free to go hunting for stages and I won’t have to focus on the general. I have never gone to France with this objective and to be honest I like it” admitted the Basque veteran who, clearly, before writing a similar program, weighed the routes of all three Grand Tours.
“They don’t seem overly difficult. On paper there are no blocks of multiple stages that are scary, even if both will be very demanding. The Giro scares me less than the Tour where the teams do not hold back” commented Landa, ready to take over, after the farewell of Evenepoela new role and new tasks in the team.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do next season and how to approach it. I leaned on the team a lot, especially now that Remco is no longer there and that in principle I have more responsibilities again. Together we found this calendar and it really motivates me. The team will return to being the same as before and fighting for the sprints and classics but, as mentioned, I will have my space and will be able to help the young people who come from behind and want to fight for the week-long stage races” declared the class of ’89, still determined to play an important role in cycling that counts despite the fact that several times, during his career, accidents, bad luck and falls have tried to undermine his conviction, forcing him to undergo rather harsh rehabilitation.
The last one, in chronological order, was the one following the tumble that occurred during the first stage of the last Giro d’Italia which cost him the stabilized fracture of the eleventh lumbar vertebra, a problem which forced him to stay away from the bike for a long time and which even afterwards, once he got back on the saddle, affected his state of form.
“Even after the Vuelta I realized that I still hadn’t fully recovered and I started to wonder if I would return to the level I was before, but now I think the answer is yes.” Landa said frankly that, with a contract expiring next December, he has not yet reflected on whether or not to continue his pedaling adventure.
“At this moment I have the same chance of hanging up the bike and continuing. If in 2026 I continue to have fun, I manage to find my levels again and the team wants it, I will continue. I’m fine here, I feel appreciated and I have found my placeso the hope is to be able to end my career here” explained the Basque cyclist who, among other things, in 2026 also hopes to dispel the taboo on victory that has held since Return to Burgos of 2021.
“Winning was a goal that I set for myself every season, but which, for one reason or another, has always eluded me. We’ll see if this year I’ll organize myself better and, after the performances offered at the Vuelta where I raced like I haven’t done in a long time, I’ll be able to raise my arms to the sky. I can definitely try to do something even in short stage races which, if they feature mountains or uphill finishes and at the same time a few kilometers against a time trial, suit my characteristics.” Landa commented hopefully.
