Mikel Landa Meana

Mikel Landa, born in Murgia, Spain on 13 December 1989, turned professional with Euskaltel-Euskadi in 2011 and began to develop into one of the best climbers in the peloton during his tenure at Astana.

Landa’s breakthrough came in 2015, when he threatened to outshine his leader Fabio Aru at the Giro d’Italia. The Basque won mountain stages at Madonna di Campiglio and Aprica, but he followed team orders to desist from a long-range offensive on the penultimate stage to Sestriere. He finished third overall behind Aru and Giro winner Alberto Contador.

After winning a stage of the 2015 Vuelta a España, Landa moved from Astana to Sky, but his tilt at the 2016 Giro was ruined by illness, while a crash at the Blockhaus restricted him to hunting for a stage win the following season.

Landa made amends at the 2017 Tour de France, where he appeared stronger than his Sky leader Chris Froome in the Pyrenees. Despite his reputation as a rebel, Landa dutifully followed team orders in the Alps, reaching Paris just shy of the podium in 4th overall.

In 2018, Landa moved on to Movistar, where he was now sharing leadership duties with Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana, a triumvirate that never added up to the sum of its parts at the Tour. He also placed 4th overall at the 2019 Giro, helping Movistar teammate Richard Carapaz to final victory.

Another move beckoned, and Landa’s time at Bahrain Victorious has seen him alternate solid displays with maddening ill fortune. Landa placed 4th overall at the 2020 Tour but crashes forced him to abandon both the Giro and the Vuelta. In 2022, Landa finally returned to a Grand Tour podium with third overall at the Giro but he was hampered by injury ahead of the Vuelta, placing 15th overall in Madrid.

Landa's attempt at the 2023 Tour de France ended with a crash on stage 8, and he finished a distant 19th behind winner Jonas Vingegaard. He went on to race the Vuelta a España, finishing fifth behind winner Sepp Kuss.

Yet another team transfer came for 2024, when Landa swapped Bahrain for Soudal-Quickstep to pair up with Remco Evenepoel for his Tour de France debut.

Key Results

Third overall, Giro d’Italia 2015, 2022

Fourth overall, Giro d’Italia 2019

Fourth overall, Tour de France 2017, 2020

Winner Giro del Trentino 2016

Winner Vuelta a Burgos 2017

Winner Giro d'Italia stages 15 & 16, 2015; stage 19, 2017

Winner Vuelta a Espana stage 11, 2015

Second, Giro del Trentino 2015

Second, Vuelta a Asturias 2013