Mikel Landa

Early career

Landa was born in Murgia (Álava), in the Basque Country in northern Spain. Like many Basque cyclists he began his career at the Orbea Continental development team, in 2009, before graduating to the Euskaltel-Euskadi professional team in 2011. After three years with the Euskaltel–Euskadi squad, Landa left the team at the end of the 2013 season – due to its disestablishment – to join Astana.^[3]

Astana (2014–2015)

Landa won a Stage of the 2014 Giro del Trentino before riding the 2014 Giro d'Italia as one of Fabio Aru's mountain domestiques. He helped Aru to finish third overall.

In 2015, Landa attacked from a breakaway on the final climb of the day to win the fifth stage of his home race, the Tour of the Basque Country.^[4]

Landa (left) with Fabio Aru and Steven Kruijswijk at the 2015 Giro d'Italia

Landa rode the Giro d'Italia, again initially as a domestique for Aru. On Stage 8, the second mountain top finish of the race to Campitello Matese Landa finished second after following an attack by Aru, and then unsuccessfully chasing after leader Beñat Intxausti (Movistar Team) in an attempt to win the stage. By doing so Landa rose to fifth place overall, 42 seconds down on leader Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo).^[5] Landa rose to third overall on Stage 10, when Richie Porte (Team Sky) was given a time penalty for accepting a wheel change from Orica-GreenEDGE rider Simon Clarke.^[6] On Stage 14, a 59.4 km individual time trial, Landa was caught on the road by Contador, losing over three minutes to him, and dropped to seventh overall, 4 minutes 55 seconds back. However, the next day, Landa won the mountainous Stage 15 after attacking Contador on the final climb, the Madonna di Campiglio, and proving stronger than Aru, who he finished six seconds ahead of.^[7] After the race's second rest day on the following stage, Stage 16 was the queen's stage with five Italian Alpine peaks, including the Tonale, Mortirolo and a mountain finish to Aprica. On the first of two climbs to Aprica, Contador suffered a mechanical problem, after which Team Katusha and Astana immediately pressed on the pace at the front, sparking a bit of controversy over respect and fair play.^[8] After a long chase Contador eventually caught up with Landa, Aru and Steven Kruijswijk (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) on the Mortirolo after being 52 seconds down at the start of the climb. Contador then counter-attacked, with Landa proving stronger than Aru, who was unable to follow the move. Landa rode away on the final ascent to Aprica, winning his second stage in a row by 38 seconds over Kruijswijk and Contador. Aru finished 2 minutes and 51 seconds behind, and thus Landa moved ahead of his teammate to second overall.^[9] However, on Stage 19 it was Aru who proved the stronger of the two, attacking on the final climb to Cervinia and taking 1 minute and 18 seconds on Contador and Landa, who did not respond to his move. On Stage 20, the last mountain stage, Landa attacked on the Colle delle Finestre, taking the Cima Coppi for crossing the highest point of the race in the lead as he crossed the summit with Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha), a minute ahead of Aru and a minute and a half ahead of Contador. However, Landa waited for Aru on the descent, and the pair were unable to take sufficient time from Contador on the remainder of the stage, before Aru attacked on the final climb to Sestriere to win the Stage. Although Contador lost two and a half minutes on what he described as an "off-day", he kept the maglia rosa with a lead of 2' 02" over Aru to win the Giro, with Landa finishing third overall 3 minutes 14 seconds back.^[10]

Landa rode the 2015 Vuelta a España again in support of Aru, after Astana's other leader Vincenzo Nibali was disqualified on the 2nd Stage for holding onto a team car. Landa won the mountainous Stage 11 from Andorra la Vella to Cortals d'Encamp from the breakaway, ignoring team orders to drop back and assist Aru.^[11] However, Landa did work for Aru during the rest of the race as the Italian traded the race lead with Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), and played a key role in the decisive move on Stage 20 when he and Aru dropped Dumoulin on the penultimate climb before being joined by teammates from the breakaway to ride away from Dumoulin, who lost over three minutes and thus the Vuelta to Aru.

Team Sky (2016–2017)

Landa at the 2017 Giro d'Italia

In September 2015 Landa confirmed that he would join Team Sky for the 2016 season.^[12]

After missing several early season races through illness, Landa made his first appearance for Team Sky at the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali, in which he finished 11th overall.^[13] Landa then rode his home race, the Tour of the Basque Country, where he won the second stage to take the race lead.^[14]

Landa led Sky at the Giro del Trentino in his last warm up race before the 2016 Giro d'Italia. He won Stage 2 to take the race lead, and successfully defended it on the following two stages despite attacks from Astana duo Tanel Kangert and Jakob Fuglsang to take overall victory by a single second over Kangert.^[15] Landa abandoned the Giro d'Italia part-way through Stage 10 after being hampered by illness overnight and being diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis. This came just a day after he had impressed in the Stage 9 individual time trial, after which he was sitting in 8th place overall.^[16]

Landa was named in the start list for the 2016 Tour de France.^[17] He helped Chris Froome win the race for a third time by acting as a mountain domestique.

In January 2017, Team Sky announced that Landa would share leadership with Geraint Thomas at the Giro d'Italia.^[18] However, on stage 9, as the peloton approached the final climb of the day to Blockhaus, Wilco Kelderman of Team Sunweb collided with a police motorcycle which had been parked at the side of the road. This caused him to swerve to his right into the Sky riders, who were in a line in the peloton, and resulted in Landa and the majority of his team mates being brought down. Landa was able to remount and continue, but he finished the stage in 165th place, 26 minutes and 56 seconds down on the stage winner, Nairo Quintana. With his hopes of a high overall finish in the race over, Landa rode aggressively in several breakaways in the mountains. He finished third on Stage 14 and won his second Cima Coppi on Stage 16, beating Igor Antón (Team Dimension Data) to the summit of Passo dello Stelvio.^[19] Landa finished 2nd in the stage after just being outsprinted by Vincenzo Nibali at the finish line in Bormio. Landa, also, finished 2nd two days later in Stage 18 behind Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team).^[20] Landa won Stage 19 in the summit finish to Piancavallo.

Landa was named in the start list for the 2017 Tour de France, initially as a mountain domestique for Chris Froome. On Stage 12 which finished with a short steep climb to Peyragudes, Landa finished fourth, five seconds behind stage winner Romain Bardet whilst Froome came seventh, 22 seconds down on Bardet.^[21] On Stage 13, Landa was part of a four man breakaway with Warren Barguil, Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador. Barguil won the stage, with the quartet finishing in 1 min 39 s ahead of the other overall contenders.^[22] On Stage 15, Froome suffered a broken spoke on the Peyra Taillade climb, but and some assistance from Landa and other teammates, he was able to chase back up to the group before the summit.^[23][24] Landa ultimately placed fourth behind Froome, Rigoberto Urán and Bardet, finishing just 1 second behind Bardet in third.^[25]

On 29 July 2017, one week after the end of the Tour de France, Landa placed fifth in a five-rider group sprint in the 2017 Clasica de San Sebastian, which was won by teammate Michał Kwiatkowski^[26] The following week, Landa took overall victory at the 2017 Vuelta a Burgos, as well as winning two stages and the points and mountains classifications.

Movistar Team (2018)

Landa at the 2018 Liege-Bastogne-Liege

On 15 August 2017, it was announced that Landa had signed with Movistar Team for a two-year contract, commencing 2018.^[2]

Landa took his first victory of 2018 on Stage 4 of Tirreno–Adriatico, after attacking on the mountain top finish at Sarnano Sassotetto.^[27]

Major results

General classification results timeline

Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Giro d'Italia	—	—	34	3	DNF	17	—
Tour de France	—	—	—	—	35	4	7
Vuelta a España	69	39	28	25	—	—	—
Major stage race general classification results
Stage race	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Paris–Nice	—	—	—	—	—	24	—
Tirreno–Adriatico	80	—	—	—	—	31	6
Volta a Catalunya	—	33	36	47	—	DNF	—
Tour of the Basque Country	—	DNF	14	22	12	—	2
Tour de Romandie	35	78	—	—	—	—	—
Critérium du Dauphiné	83	—	—	—	12	—	—
Tour de Suisse	—	—	—	—	—	—	16