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Mikel Landa’s podium hopes unravel at Vuelta a España


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Mikel Landa blew all chances of a podium spot at the Vuelta a España after losing more than three minutes in what turned out to be a very costly transition stage.

Landa started Thursday’s 18th stage in fifth overall at 2:18 back of leader Ben O’Connor, and only 53 seconds off the virtual podium.

What was a crack turned into a canyon for the Soudal Quick-Step star, and he tumbled from fifth to 10th on a stage when the other GC favorites rolled in together.

There will be some intense questions inside the Soudal Quick-Step bus after what happened Thursday to Landa and his Vuelta podium aspirations.

Landa was left isolated without teammates at a critical moment when Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) attacked the GC group on the Cat. 1 Puerto de Herrera with about 45km to go.

It was unclear if the Spanish star was sick or feeling unwell, but Landa struggled to match the fierce pace. A gap of about 20 seconds opened as the GC group fractured under pressure on the steep climb.

Things quickly unraveled from there for Landa, who clearly could not match the searing pace.

With more attacks from the GC favorites near the top of the climb, the Soudal Quick-Step captain was soon isolated without help from teammates on the wrong side of the Cat. 1 summit.

Landa isolated after big Carapaz attack

Carapaz
An attack from Carapaz split the lead GC bunch. (Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

Soudal Quick-Step had numbers to help the desperate Landa, but the team couldn’t move the pieces into place fast enough to help save the day for the Spanish star.

Early in the stage, the Belgian team placed three riders into the day’s big 40-plus rider breakaway, with Casper Pedersen, Mauri Vansevenant, and Matteo Cattaneo racing for the stage win.

All three were up the road when Landa was gapped.

Vansevenant and Pedersen helped position Cattaneo at the front of the breakaway group minutes ahead of the GC group when they first heard chatter on the race radio that Landa was struggling to match the Carapaz acceleration.

Landa was isolated over the top of the Cat. 1 summit and rode alone for nearly 15km before Pedersen and then Vansevenant could rejoin him.

Pedersen described a scene of confusion about where everyone was in the decisive moment.

“It is always hard with the distance and the radio. Already on the climb I did my job for that first goal of our team with the ‘Catta’ in the breakaway,” Pedersen told Eurosport at the line. “I could hear already the race car with the bunch, so I knew what was going on [with Landa].

“I tried to go easy so I saved the legs until the descent,” Pedersen said. “On that perspective I was pacing my tempo as good as possible to make as big as possible difference for Mikel.”

It was unclear if race radios were not properly functioning, but Pedersen’s comments suggested everyone on the team was aware of Landa’s struggles on the climb.

By the time Pedersen joined the chase with Landa there was already a gap of nearly two minutes to the GC group.

Team calls back Cattaneo too late

Landa
Landa rolls across the line after losing more than three minutes. (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

Sensing that the race was unraveling, Soudal Quick-Step sport directors then called Cattaneo out of what was the winning breakaway when he was well-positioned within the select group of a dozen leading riders.

It was hard to say if Cattaneo would have had the legs to win out of the break, but the Italian clearly wasn’t happy when he was ordered to sit up to help the lagging Landa.

By then it was too late.

Pedersen, Cattaneo, and Vansevenant tried to limit the losses, but the Landa bunch that also included Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) finished 3:20 behind the Carapaz-O’Connor group.

 

With the crushing time losses, Landa sees all hopes of finishing on the Vuelta podium evaporate.

France’s David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) moved up to fifth, with everyone else moving up one spot ahead of Landa now in 10th.

Landa — who finished fifth in the Tour de France while helping Remco Evenepoel — was not happy at the finish line and he did not respond to media inquiries.

Thursday’s stage across Spain’s Álava region, and it was a bit of a homecoming for Landa, who was born in nearby Murgia. It certainly didn’t end the way he would have liked.

Two decisive climbing stages await Friday and Saturday, so perhaps Landa and Soudal Quick-Step can rewrite the finale.





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