Friday was a special day for Mikel Landa.
One of the best climbers of this century, the charismatic Basque reached a fantastic milestone – 1000 race days – joining another Soudal Quick-Step rider, Pieter Serry, who achieved this remarkable feat just a couple of months ago, at the Volta a Catalunya.
For Mikel, it happened at another competition held in the Iberian Peninsula, one extremely close to his heart, the place of his maiden pro win, 14 years ago: Vuelta a Burgos. A rookie in 2011, Landa left everyone else behind on the slopes of Lagunas de Neila – the most emblematic climb of the race – and soloed to a victory that announced him on the big scene at just 21 years of age. Since then, he has won 15 other races, finished twice on the podium of the Giro d’Italia and was responsible for the appearance of a philosophy associated with his persona on the bike: El Landismo.
It was only logical for his Soudal Quick-Step teammates and staff members to celebrate the 35-year-old Basque with a special cake ahead of the start of Burgos’ penultimate stage, which he concluded safely in the peloton, a couple of minutes behind the winning breakaway.
At the finish, Mikel talked about this exceptional landmark, one that not many riders have reached in their career: “I didn’t know before the start that this was my 1000th race day and it was a beautiful surprise from the team. It speaks a lot about the long career I had and I’m happy I could celebrate it with the Wolfpack and these great people in the team. I’m also content with the feeling I had today, stage by stage I’m feeling better and more competitive, and this is nice for the coming races.”
