Mikel Landa is set to make his first appearance since the beginning of May.
Our team is back at the Vuelta a Burgos next week, a race which we won in 2020, and among the seven Soudal Quick-Step riders lining out at the start in Olmillos de Sasamon will be also Mikel Landa, in first outing since the crash that put an end to his Giro d’Italia hopes on the opening race of the event.
A two-time winner of the Spanish race, Mikel took his first ever victory there (and the KOM jersey), 14 years ago, when he tamed the steep gradients of the mythical Lagunas de Neila, in what was his debut season in the pro ranks. Now, the 35-year-old hopes for a smooth return to racing as he builds his form for the second part of the season.
“I’m a little bit nervous, as it’s been a long time since my last race. I am happy to pin on a number again, but at the same time, I don’t know what to expect because it’s my first race in three months and the injury I had was a difficult one. It will be an important test to see if I can ease back to racing. The plan is to just take it day by day and enjoy the race without any expectations”, said Mikel ahead of Burgos.
Joining Landa at the 47th edition of the five-day event – where Lagunas de Neila is once again expected to be decisive in the fight for the general classification – will be Gianmarco Garofoli, Antoine Huby, James Knox, Luke Lamperti, Pieter Serry, and Tour of Oman stage winner Louis Vervaeke, who also returns from injury.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
