Mikel Landa Discussion Thread

[Vino's Mum]

Re:

Maybe time for Astana to adjust their tactics and go with Aru and Landa as co-leaders?

I can't see it happening while Aru is still plenty ahead of Landa on GC. As things stand and as today's stage finish confirms, Contador is happy enough as he's racing Aru, and knows he's the stronger rider. Is he stronger than Landa? Probably, possibly, but he doesn't know for certain.

I guess the Vino option is for Aru to try a long-range (crazy) solo attack, leaving Landa to ride with Tira, Kangert, Rosa, and so on. Does Bert follow Aru, or sit tight with Landa?

 

[Mr.White]

Landa should try long range, not Aru

 

[IndianCyclist]

Maybe Contador was laying the foundation to sign Landa for TS next year

 

[cineteq]

Re:

Landa should try long range, not Aru

Landa should be named team leader at this point, and send Aru on a long-range masive attack.

 

[The_Cheech]

Re:

Maybe Contador was laying the foundation to sign Landa for TS next year

I doubt it. Landa & Co. are ex-Euskaltel Euskadi, and back when Fernando Alonso wanted to buy the team (in reality he just wanted their license,) the deal came crumbling down over small petty stupid sh*i like some of the riders unwilling to wear a jersey with the Spanish flag on it. I can't confirm Landa was one of these riders but... there's a good chance he was in that group.

Since Fernando wanted to get Alberto to be the team lead, seeing the project come crumbling down (judging by what he said after the deal went sour) must have really pissed him off. Many cyclists burned their bridges with Contador, and I seriously doubt he wants them in his team.

According to some of my sources, Nieve practically threw himself at Alberto, but Contador told him no.

Once bitten, twice shy.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

Maybe time for Astana to adjust their tactics and go with Aru and Landa as co-leaders?

I can't see it happening while Aru is still plenty ahead of Landa on GC. As things stand and as today's stage finish confirms, Contador is happy enough as he's racing Aru, and knows he's the stronger rider. Is he stronger than Landa? Probably, possibly, but he doesn't know for certain.

I guess the Vino option is for Aru to try a long-range (crazy) solo attack, leaving Landa to ride with Tira, Kangert, Rosa, and so on. Does Bert follow Aru, or sit tight with Landa?

Contador should follow Aru. Landa is not a threat. Simple as that.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Maybe Contador was laying the foundation to sign Landa for TS next year

I doubt it. Landa & Co. are ex-Euskaltel Euskadi, and back when Fernando Alonso wanted to buy the team (in reality he just wanted their license,) the deal came crumbling down over small petty stupid sh*i like some of the riders unwilling to wear a jersey with the Spanish flag on it. I can't confirm Landa was one of these riders but... there's a good chance he was in that group.

Since Fernando wanted to get Alberto to be the team lead, seeing the project come crumbling down (judging by what he said after the deal went sour) must have really pissed him off. Many cyclists burned their bridges with Contador, and I seriously doubt he wants them in his team.

According to some of my sources, Nieve practically threw himself at Alberto, but Contador told him no.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Wow, interesting story. Got any online sources for that or is it just gossip?

 

[jens_attacks]

Re:

dreamt last night that landa got a big victory on a MTF. alone and with big gap

cervinia i hope . aupa mikeeeeel!

Checked. Not a big gap though

What is scary is that he seemed fresher than alberto
I really hope martinelli will let him to attack full gas on mortirolo

 

[Arnout]

Re: Re:

Maybe Contador was laying the foundation to sign Landa for TS next year

I doubt it. Landa & Co. are ex-Euskaltel Euskadi, and back when Fernando Alonso wanted to buy the team (in reality he just wanted their license,) the deal came crumbling down over small petty stupid sh*i like some of the riders unwilling to wear a jersey with the Spanish flag on it. I can't confirm Landa was one of these riders but... there's a good chance he was in that group.

Since Fernando wanted to get Alberto to be the team lead, seeing the project come crumbling down (judging by what he said after the deal went sour) must have really pissed him off. Many cyclists burned their bridges with Contador, and I seriously doubt he wants them in his team.

According to some of my sources, Nieve practically threw himself at Alberto, but Contador told him no.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Anton has called Contador a liar too in a recent interview. There's definately split camps in Spanish cycling.

[quote="Red Rick]
Wow, interesting story. Got any online sources for that or is it just gossip?[/quote]

Like I said, Contador definately isn't universally liked. Whether that's a result of the Alonso saga or the reason it failed in the first place I don't know (it's the first time I even heard this story), but it might also be a reason Contador has never been linked to a Spanish team recently.

 

[hfer07]

Re: Re:

Maybe time for Astana to adjust their tactics and go with Aru and Landa as co-leaders?

I guess the Vino option is for Aru to try a long-range (crazy) solo attack, leaving Landa to ride with Tira, Kangert, Rosa, and so on. Does Bert follow Aru, or sit tight with Landa?

Why would Contador and Tinkov allow Aru to go in the first place, since he's 2nd?

Landa should be doing that attack since he still got the time margin to be allowed by Contador, but once it gets closer, he will shut him down- then if Aru has the legs is when he should attack him.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Maybe Contador was laying the foundation to sign Landa for TS next year

I know the team that Landa will be next year if he is not in Astana, and it is not Saxo.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

I like Landa but it shouldn't be forgotten that he's very inconsistent (though not this Giro so far). He's had years where he did absolutely nothing.

But always for health problem and injuries, you njeed continuity to gert result.

He was depressed this winter, he went out of Baque country becouse there were presurre on him to get result for the press.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Maybe Contador was laying the foundation to sign Landa for TS next year

I know the team that Landa will be next year if he is not in Astana, and it is not Saxo.

Go ahead, you can tell us, don't be shy

 

[Pentacycle]

Caja Rural obviously

 

[SeriousSam]

Mikel wondering why the others are grimacing

 

[Vino's Mum]

Re: Re:

Why would Contador and Tinkov allow Aru to go in the first place, since he's 2nd?

Landa should be doing that attack since he still got the time margin to be allowed by Contador, but once it gets closer, he will shut him down- then if Aru has the legs is when he should attack him.

Yeah, I know Landa should be doing that attack, but it's too obvious. Tinkoff manages the gap, Aru follows Contador, Contador follows any late Aru move. Yawn.

The only way I can see Contador cracking enough to lose the lead is if Aru attacks from distance, as Contador would have to go with him - just the two of them if Aru rides like he stole it. Sure, I expect Aru would get into trouble before Bert, but if they both blow up...

...Landa says thanks.

 

[del1962]

Contador is not going to loose over 4 minutes to Landa though

 

[Angliru]

Re: Re:

Why would Contador and Tinkov allow Aru to go in the first place, since he's 2nd?

Landa should be doing that attack since he still got the time margin to be allowed by Contador, but once it gets closer, he will shut him down- then if Aru has the legs is when he should attack him.

Yeah, I know Landa should be doing that attack, but it's too obvious. Tinkoff manages the gap, Aru follows Contador, Contador follows any late Aru move. Yawn.

The only way I can see Contador cracking enough to lose the lead is if Aru attacks from distance, as Contador would have to go with him - just the two of them if Aru rides like he stole it. Sure, I expect Aru would get into trouble before Bert, but if they both blow up...

...Landa says thanks.

Are we forgetting that if Landa goes, there are other teams with an interest in what time he could potentially gain and the threat to their rider's gc position? Just his action could alter the positions of many in the top ten and consequently they may share in the prevention of Landa's potential time gains.

 

[lenric]

Obviously Landa is (or should be) better than Contador, he's peaking for il Giro. Contador's peaking for Tour and arguably last week's Giro. Plus, the spaniard *** every guy yesterday, it's only normal that he'd be tires today.

 

[movingtarget]

Landa is clearly climbing better than anyone in this race. Astana should just let him off the leash even though he would still have trouble cracking Contador. Aru is not going to win the Giro so second or third, it does not matter. Only misfortune can stop Contador. It is ridiculous watching Landa having to wait for Aru.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Re:

Landa as Astana's leader in the Vuelta?

Seems like a good idea.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

I like Landa but it shouldn't be forgotten that he's very inconsistent (though not this Giro so far). He's had years where he did absolutely nothing.

I think I heard this story before. Inconsistency might not be a problem.

 

[The_Cheech]

Re: Re:

Maybe Contador was laying the foundation to sign Landa for TS next year

I doubt it. Landa & Co. are ex-Euskaltel Euskadi, and back when Fernando Alonso wanted to buy the team (in reality he just wanted their license,) the deal came crumbling down over small petty stupid sh*i like some of the riders unwilling to wear a jersey with the Spanish flag on it. I can't confirm Landa was one of these riders but... there's a good chance he was in that group.

Since Fernando wanted to get Alberto to be the team lead, seeing the project come crumbling down (judging by what he said after the deal went sour) must have really pissed him off. Many cyclists burned their bridges with Contador, and I seriously doubt he wants them in his team.

According to some of my sources, Nieve practically threw himself at Alberto, but Contador told him no.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Wow, interesting story. Got any online sources for that or is it just gossip?

This was told to me under condition of anonymity by a good friend who works for Diario As (still).

If my memory serves me right... the main issue was the fact that EE management wanted Fernando Alonso to pretty much take ownership of the team on an "as is" basis, meaning he would not have a say in who was hired or laid off until the contracts ran out. And he, initially, agreed to pretty much everything they demanded (even though EE were holding a very weak hand).

Eventually everything was thrown in for barter and that annoyed Fernando tremendously (who at the time was looking for a way out of his Ferrari contract himself). Allegedly, the straw that broke the camel's back was a phone call in which EE management demanded that the team's headquarters be kept in the Basque Country instead of moving to Asturias and that the Spanish flag was not to be present in either the team's buses or gear.

Fernando pulled out of the deal immediately after that call.

 

[The_Cheech]

Re: Re:

Anton has called Contador a liar too in a recent interview. There's definately split camps in Spanish cycling.

His issues with Alberto go way back. It's mostly Unzué's and Valverde's displeasure that percolates to the other riders though. As if it were an order to not like Contador.

Like I said, Contador definately isn't universally liked. Whether that's a result of the Alonso saga or the reason it failed in the first place I don't know (it's the first time I even heard this story), but it might also be a reason Contador has never been linked to a Spanish team recently.

I don't think it has to do with that. Contador was in unofficial talks with Alonso's team and even had a schedule worked out before Fernando pulled the plug. But the EE riders, or management, didn't have a clue that the team's leader would be AC though.

 

[Velolover2]

Off topic, but Landa's hairline is the most impressive I've ever seen.

He almost doesn't have a forehead. Most cyclists tend to go bald very early.