Mikel Landa Discussion Thread

[ray j willings]

The years difference between Landa and Talansky means nothing.
Landa has to deliver on a GT.
Make that step up from winning the odd stage to becoming a GC champion. Is he good enough? not many are.
Froome, Contador .Quintana. Nibs. Big four maybe Valverde five.

Will he get that chance at Sky?
Froome and strong talk of Thomas leading a GT? Look at Uran and now Henao at Sky. Hows Landa going to be treated any different?

 

[Red Rick]

The years difference between Landa and Talansky means nothing.
Landa has to deliver on a GT.
Make that step up from winning the odd stage to becoming a GC champion. Is he good enough? not many are.
Froome, Contador .Quintana. Nibs. Big four maybe Valverde five.

Will he get that chance at Sky?
Froome and strong talk of Thomas leading a GT? Look at Uran and now Henao at Sky. Hows Landa going to be treated any different?

By re-enacting the Froome-Wiggins show from 2012, with Landa playing Froome

 

[hrotha]

I see that the mythologizing of Landa as a great natural high mountain climber has started.

One look at his career, both at U23 and as a pro pre Astana would be enough to tell that this characterization is plainly false.

Up to this year's Giro, he looked like a less punchy Slagter, but better in the real mountains.

 

[KyoGrey]

I see that the mythologizing of Landa as a great natural high mountain climber has started.

One look at his career, both at U23 and as a pro pre Astana would be enough to tell that this characterization is plainly false.

No, no, no, no, Mikel Landa was a super coveted prospect in the amateur ranks in Spain, having won multiple Elite/U23 races at only age 18-19 (Gorla amongst them, a typical proof of a good climber).

He passed to pros at 19-20 years old in 2010. In 2011, he was destroying the field in Lagunas de Neila.
Up to this moment, his career was of a star in the making.

The problem is that he never exploded. Years 2012, 2013, 2014 passed with only flashes of the class he displayed in 2009-2011.

Ironically, in 2015, when everybody was giving up on the kid...he buries Contador and Aru in the Giro. Surely, his evolution has been very strange, but to say that he was a nobody in amateurs is untrue.

I was actually thinking of his races in 2010. Even Avenir which was by far his best performance this year was while good, not quite at "wow, look at that guy" level.

And Isard and Circuito Montanes were rather average to put it mildly.

Yes, 2010 (his first year in pros) was not so great compared to his last amateur year in 2009 and his presentation to the great public in 2011.

However, I hope that the big picture of my message has been delivered: Landa was certainly not a nobody in U23 like you first said.

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

Cant really blame a Basque climber for idolizing Mayo at some points during 2002-2004. He was absolute dynamite. Off course he did that. I bet Antón, Nieve and all the other former guys at Euskaltel did that as well if they were into watching cycling. Or even if they werent, they did anyways.

On Landa: He wasnt really good at Burgos, so I expected him to lose more than 3 seconds the other day to Aru who was blasting it in Poland. Landa will probably just follow wheels again in Alpujarra and the following days until Andorra. On those kinda stages, he is the better rider than Aru. Would be surprised to see Aru higher up that Landa on that one. Lets also remember that Nibali is gone so he has gone from 3rd string not-in-shape in Burgos to losing 3 seconds to Aru who arguably is the more explosive rider. Thats a pretty good few first days for Landa, selfishly, of course. Lets wait till Alpujarra which definetely will show a bit more, Cumbres Verdes to some extent as well, but its still kinda up in the air until the real mountains where Landa just seems like the better, more natural climber than Aru (and most of the peloton apart from Quintana, frankly).

Vamos Landa!

Apparently Aru crashed pretty hard on stage 2, maybe he's still feeling the crash.
How can you blame a basque rider that was born in 1989 for having Mayo as his idol when he was growing up, nearly everyone of our generation that fell in love with this wonderful sport at some point had an idol that turned out to be seriously flawed.

Where have you read that?

I think he didnt crash. Landa was afected as well by the crash and both of them had to catch the main group later.

About Mayo and Landa, he ha just said he was the rider he followed when he was a kid, as most of basque people and no basque people all over the world, no more, he is not his idol properly, he aid similar words about Chava, he didnt see him race, but he put videos of him when he train at home, he has not say any opinion about today thought of him.

And he said this about Contador in an interview:

—¿Cómo es Contador en carrera?

—Intimida. Llevo cuatro o cinco años en el pelotón y sé cómo corre. Siempre ha sido un ciclista al que he admirado por su forma de disputar las carreras. Es increíble estar a su rueda. Pero creo que puedo darme el lujo de intentarlo, probar y equivocarme, ya que no tengo nada que perder.

(he has admire his way to dispute races)

Aru had ripped shorts and Larry Warbasse tweeted that he hit the deck pretty hard.
https://twitter.com/larrywarbasse/status/635530910423719936

 

[Taxus4a]

The years difference between Landa and Talansky means nothing.
Landa has to deliver on a GT.
Make that step up from winning the odd stage to becoming a GC champion. Is he good enough? not many are.
Froome, Contador .Quintana. Nibs. Big four maybe Valverde five.

Will he get that chance at Sky?
Froome and strong talk of Thomas leading a GT? Look at Uran and now Henao at Sky. Hows Landa going to be treated any different?

Is Landa has signed from SKY, with lees money than Movistar offered, is with some conditions. If he is ok, he must be leader in Giro with a team working for him.. and he want to knows Ardennes...

That is not for the second year, just the fort one.

 

[Taxus4a]

Yesterday Landa said that he doesnt feel so good like in the Giro, so if he wanst the leader of the team there, here less.
but he said as well that if he fells better than Aru, and the team has more options to win with him, what Astana want is to win la Vuelta whoever the rider. Logic.

 

[roundabout]

14 minutes lost today, but that was probably because of the crash.

 

[jens_attacks]

I hope it was because of the crash but i don't think so...

 

[Billie]

no reason to put his 1.5 million check at risk. Next year he'll be back

 

[SafeBet]

A 15 minute effort could put his check at risk?

 

[Billie]

training, motivation and preparation are effected

 

[Taxus4a]

I dont know how afected is him by the crash.


Anyway Landa is like that, is a rider who when he is inspired and in his best shape, like Tom Domoulin now, i able to the best, but he is not going to be always like this. In teh Giro he was without presure, after to get a good built up in his land and trentino, an he was always at the front behind the stronger team of the Giro. There win afected lees to the riders, as well hot.

Today is a day for your team mates to work,he is not so different than in the Giro, but today with the wind you need someone working for you. He is a mand for several long climbs, not for this parcours,so he signed fior a team to be leader in the Giro, becoue is the race he feels better. he is young and he has to improve. but here Aru was the leader and he is here to help and try an stage if possible, So this is normal.

Fuente, another magical climber, somedays was super strong some days lost a lot of time.

He wanst at his best phisical and motivational moment in this race.
But next year, ehen he get a good shape, if an strong team work for him he could dive very special moments.

For me is not a surprise hi Giro and it is not this Vuelta or the 2014 one, it is the same rider.

But Landa in Asturias will be stronger than Aru.

 

[SeriousSam]

Great form at the Giro: At least one year at a wage of 1.5 million euros. Well done.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Great form at the Giro: At least one year at a wage of 1.5 million euros. Well done.

If the chose is SKy thay offered him if spanish journalish are righ 1,2 millions and Movisstar 1,5.

Of course nobody gibve that money for a rider who rode just a good Giro. Landa i a well know rider and Astana, one of the bet teams in the world, more focused in eastern and italian riders, sign him for something, depite a not good year.

He was on of the bet last year in Andorra stage, and he will show he worth that money.

For me none rider must be payed so big money, but iof agan get 4 millions, he deserved that, of course.

He has lot of good result all his short carreer, and he qill have very good result at the end of hi career, but as I told him in burgos, I hope you dont change, I want to ee Landa, that rider that when he is ok and there is a hard stage, he can how us his magic...If he is always fighting for GC or if he improves in GC, that is ok, but I dont mind.

 

[SafeBet]

The real question now is: come the important stages, will he slave for Aru or go crazy by himself?

 

[jens_attacks]

he will probably get dropped on every bump from here on

i lost any hope with him. and on sky, he's not a brit so will lose at least 30 watts there.

 

[Fernandez]

But...... wasnt Landa the next Bahamontes few months ago?

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

The real question now is: come the important stages, will he slave for Aru or go crazy by himself?

Considering he'll only go to the big races if he's prepared to slave himself for others (Froome, possibly G), he really shouldn't rebel here

 

[DBotero]

I'm not surprised by the way Landa approached this Vuelta.Astana had their leaders and he was supposed to be a domestique here,nothing more.I still hope he'll be interested in winning stage 11 as today he lost another +10min,free to go in the break.

 

[ray j willings]

This is not the Astana performance of the Giro. They are so disappointing apart from Aru. They have done nothing and Landa looks like he does not want to race. Is the team falling apart?

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

Is he tanking???

 

[jens_attacks]

Re:

This is not the Astana performance of the Giro. They are so disappointing apart from Aru. They have done nothing and Landa looks like he does not want to race. Is the team falling apart?

Watch again the capileira stage. They are still in great form(minus landa) but of course now they have to save energy. They are in 7
Imagine if they lose another guy or two and they will have to defent aru's red jersey.

The team is fine, martinelli is not exactly dumb

 

[ninjadriver]

Re: Re:

This is not the Astana performance of the Giro. They are so disappointing apart from Aru. They have done nothing and Landa looks like he does not want to race. Is the team falling apart?

Watch again the capileira stage. They are still in great form(minus landa) but of course now they have to save energy. They are in 7
Imagine if they lose another guy or two and they will have to defent aru's red jersey.

The team is fine, martinelli is not exactly dumb

I haven't been following this thread and apologize if my questions are duplicative, but has Landa already checked out given his move to Sky, did Astana get upset with him dropping Aru at the Giro, twice, did Landa think that both Aru and Nibali would be team leaders, and so Landa didn't train up to his Giro level??? I thought heading in that Nibali had no desire to do the Vuelta, and Vinokourov was punishing him.

Did Landa not receive the same Astana cooking as Aru heading into the Vuelta???

Why does Landa look so weak, after looking like Riccardo Ricco in Italia??? Has EuroSport said anything???

 

[jens_attacks]

Landa didn't trained much after il giro, he said so
He still expects to fly in the mountains to come though

Very different character to fabio aru, who worked his asz off for la vuelta basically since june....