There are solely three phases left within the 2024 Tour de France, and of the 5 riders presently mendacity highest on GC, veteran Soudal-QuickStep racer Mikel Landa is probably the one which surprises essentially the most.
Whereas the Basque star, fifth total at 13:24 behind chief Tadej Pogačar (UAE Crew Emirates), confirmed on Thursday that he’s doing a lot better than he anticipated, he additionally insisted, maybe surprisingly, that his 2024 Tour type is not so good as it has been in earlier July editions.
“I’m doing effectively, I’m having fun with it, and I’m effectively up there,” he informed a small group of reporters earlier than stage 18. “However I got here right here with the thought of simply serving to Remco. Nonetheless, little by little I received up there within the GC and my present inserting is best now than I anticipated.”
Fourth within the 2017 Tour de France, he got here inside a whisker of creating the rostrum however was pipped to the publish within the last time trial by Romain Bardet. Landa insisted that regardless of presently being in such hallowed firm as Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) within the prime 5 presently, to not point out his personal teammate Evenepoel in third, “this isn’t actually my greatest Tour. I got here to different Excursions in higher form”.
“2017 was good, however so had been 2018 and 2019, too should you don’t choose all of it on the outcomes. Again then I used to be extra formidable, I used to be extra within the combat for the race, I attacked extra too,” he defined.
“This yr,” he added a shade ruefully, “all I’m doing is chasing down the others.”
Landa was happy, all the identical, given the present record-breaking common velocity of the Tour, and the far more aggressive model of Grand Tour racing typically, which has induced lots of his contemporaries to quietly shelve the thought of combating for the general. And for all he’s now 34, Landa nonetheless stays within the GC fray, whereas nonetheless holding down a key group function as Remco’s key lieutenant for the climbing phases.
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“That’s true, the years go by and I’m nonetheless up there,” Landa recognised, “near the highest names.”
As for the way he views Soudal-QuickStep’s technique for the previous couple of days of the Tour, with two monumental mountain phases and a really robust last time trial nonetheless to return.
“Lots will rely on how UAE Crew Emirates and Visma decide to play the race, and we’ll should react to that,” he mentioned. “We’ve to remain shut, be watchful and if Vingegaard has a foul day or makes a mistake, attempt to take advantage of it to place Remco up a step on the rostrum.”
Stage 19 features a uncommon ascent to 2,800 metres above sea degree on the summit of the Bonette-Restefond, a peak solely often reached by the Tour and the ‘ceiling’ of this yr’s race.
“We do numerous altitude coaching nowadays so many of the riders are pretty used to these sorts of heights. However for positive that’ll do some harm, too, identical to after we went over the Galibier on stage 4,” Landa recognised, noting one other Alpine monster climb which peaked out at 2,642 metres above sea degree within the first week.
Precedence with Evenepoel
Landa’s glorious place total might current Soudal-QuickStep with one thing of a GC dilemma concerning whether or not they are going to defend his place within the dying days of the Tour in addition to focussing on Evenepoel. However the Basque says that whereas his fifth place is a valued asset for the Belgian squad, Evenepoel’s podium battle logically takes priority.
“My precedence is to assist Remco, and check out to make sure he finishes as excessive as attainable on the rostrum. However I’m interested by that fourth place too, and I’ll attempt to end as shut as I can to it in Good.
“Fairly than the climbs, the important thing day for Remco might effectively be the [stage 21] time trial. Nonetheless, he might get a while again then, too, so the nearer he’s to Vingegaard beforehand, the higher.”
Landa has been and nonetheless is a massively necessary a part of the Soudal-QuickStep line-up on this yr’s Tour, notably within the two robust climbing phases to return. However such is Evenepoel’s quickness to be taught that Landa says one other function he previously had, that of giving Remco recommendation on Grand Tour technique, is turning into more and more irrelevant.
“The race itself is educating him about the right way to deal with his power and calculate what to do,” Landa mentioned. “I feel the race is educating him greater than I might do.”
Landa’s personal unfettered GC choices, in any case, will come within the Vuelta a España – which Evenepoel just isn’t racing – and unsurprisingly given his glorious Tour de France so far, Landa is more and more optimistic.
“I feel it’ll be an excellent race for me,” he mentioned. “From what I can see right here within the Tour, I’m going to get there in fine condition.”
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