Mikel Landa Discussion Thread

[yaco]

Doubt that any climber can ride the tempo up the mountains like Landa.

 

[yaco]

Doubt that any climber can ride the fast tempo like Landa up the mountains.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Actually there ain't no need to become a superb time trialer for Landa. At least as long as his main-opponent is Aru. If he learns to limit the damage like Simoni he can win the Giro and the Vuelta overall.

He stands nearly no chance at the Tour, though.

People call him Sky Heras for fun, but he really reminds me of Gibo, similar body type, mountain goat and when they get interviewed both guys have no filter.

 

[Miburo]

Re:

Doubt that any climber can ride the fast tempo like Landa up the mountains.

We haven't seen Landa against 3 of the big 4 in top condition. You can even make an argument that contador wasn't at his best in the giro.

But he's obviously an amazing climber who will prob win the giro next year if he is in the same shape.

 

[lenric]

Yeah, Landa's for Giro and probably super-dom at the Tour, like Richie was... unless Thomas (or Nieve/Dombrowski who knows) step up.

 

[Taxus4a]

I saw Landa and Aru together taking coffe tonigh, so no big problems.

Wich part people dont understand that in the contract of Landa is writted: no domestique in le Tour?

SKY cant order him whatever, it is something writted and signed. He could go to other teams for more money andhe chose this for that.

That is like that for the first year, and of course if Landa is ok, if he is injured in il Giro, maybe he could go to le Tour.

 

[Red Rick]

I can totally see Contador and Froome going at it for GC, whilst Landa is crushing some random breakaway for the stage win, with a DS screaming in his ear and Landa not giving a ***

 

[SeriousSam]

Re:

I saw Landa and Aru together taking coffe tonigh, so no big problems.

Wich part people dont understand that in the contract of Landa is writted: no domestique in le Tour?

SKY cant order him whatever, it is something writted and signed. He could go to other teams for more money andhe chose this for that.

That is like that for the first year, and of course if Landa is ok, if he is injured in il Giro, maybe he could go to le Tour.

Because we haven't seen the contract.

No doubt Landa will get to lead the Giro, if he shows form. After that, he'll have to be a domestique at the Tour for Froome. G cannot play both LRP and G at the same time. He can only play either G or LRP. I think he'll play G 2.0, which means LRP will still be needed. They're going to need a guy to finish within a minute of Froome at the first MTF, and even G 2.0 isn't that guy. LRP was that guy. Landa will be that guy. But he won't smirk.

 

[ninjadriver]

Re: Re:

Might be the only Sky rider I like next year

If you dont like Froome after what he did today despite his team left him, I cant understand what you like in cycling... but anyway there must be likes for everybody...

From what I recall, Froome was a very mediocre general classification rider with Barloworld, finishing 83rd at the TDF and 34th at the Giro, and then somehow magically and mystically metamorphosized into a near dominant Grand Tour rider with Sky.

That's something to dislike, and distrust, although given cycling's reputation, I may be being hypocritical......

You must recall better... what Froome did in 2008 Tour, woth more in order to win someday le Tour that what Landa did this 2005 Giro.

I wroted why, you can look for it, as well you can ask if you dont know why.

Taxus: I read your Froome article this past weekend, and while it was an interesting analysis of his career, including the parasite he contracted in 2009-ish, it did nothing to change my mind about the suspiciousness of his meteoric rise to become a Grand Tour-winning rider at Team Sky, or about Team Sky itself.

Thanks for the article!! I'm still not a Froome fan, but he seems like a nice chap, he's extremely intelligent and he's a terrific GT rider, suspicious or not.

 

[ninjadriver]

Re: Re:

Landa & Aru appear to be not friends. Landa kept looking back to see where his leader was and Aru was at the back hiding not willing to talk to Landa except for thru the staff.

No way. Landa's performance yesterday was amazing for Aru. When Aru was struggling, Landa basically kept the pace so high that nobody could attack, but not quite high enough to drop Aru or put him in seriously difficulty. He can't keep dropping back to talk to Aru personally, or shout back through the peloton; much more sense to do it through the radio.

I think your analysis is correct, DFA, plus Landa did drop back to Aru as they neared the finish line, and then Aru blew past everybody except for Rodriguez.

Without any stellar climbers like Contador or Andy Schleck, however, or an on-form Landa or Quintana, this Vuelta has left me flat. When the pure climbers can't get rid of a time trialist in Dumoulin on 12% grade, that's indicative of a weak field of GC riders.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

If Landa has to be a dom for froome next year...

This tour was actually made for him. Not that he could have beat Froome, but maybe 2nd, definitely 3rd.

This Tour was totally anti Landa; big fight in the wind, cobblestones,...a 9 days long first week...that is the worse he can face, even the first week of la Vuelta, much more mountanious, beated him, especially a day with flat with wind and hot, so in le Tour, the levekl in the flats is bigger.

And very hot the first moiuntain stage, a stage with just one climb, so very bad for him.

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

If Landa has to be a dom for froome next year...

This tour was actually made for him. Not that he could have beat Froome, but maybe 2nd, definitely 3rd.

This Tour was totally anti Landa; big fight in the wind, cobblestones,...a 9 days long first week...that is the wore he can face, even the forst day of la Vuelta, mucho more mountanious, beated him, so in le Tour...

And very hot the first moiuntain stage, a stage with just one climb, so very bad for him.

Taxus is right, it's not just the amount of ITT km.

 

[orangerider]

Need a big engine rider for a Tour win. Landa just ain't that, and neither is Aru. Totally different than Giro and Vuelta.

 

[Taxus4a]

Anyway who knows, Landa is no so different to Quintana, so he could one day shine in le Tour, he need a good team to protect him, and he need to improve and get experience. But if he one day lead a team in le Tour it is a long way for that. I prefer to see some good people in il Giro, not just italians.

 

[Jelantik]

if i can remember, when does the first year rider who comes to Sky becomes a strength to reckon with? Porte and (now) G took few years in Sky before they are entitled to lead sky GT team. Nieve same thing. First year, didn't see him perform that well. Same with Henao. First year sign thisyear, Konig, Roche, Poehl?.. none of them was as phenomenal as the second year plus of their sky's teammate. Landa will go through the same thing. Every rider who comes to sky for the first time will get a shock to their system. 2nd year, we probably will see Landa performs as he should.

 

[Angliru]

if i can remember, when does the first year rider who comes to Sky becomes a strength to reckon with? Porte and (now) G took few years in Sky before they are entitled to lead sky GT team. Nieve same thing. First year, didn't see him perform that well. Same with Henao. First year sign thisyear, Konig, Roche, Poehl?.. none of them was as phenomenal as the second year plus of their sky's teammate. Landa will go through the same thing. Every rider who comes to sky for the first time will get a shock to their system. 2nd year, we probably will see Landa performs as he should.

There is an obvious and significant difference between the riders you mentioned and Landa: none of these guys had a grand tour podium and multiple grand tour stage wins prior to joining Sky. Landa deserves a grand tour leadership for 2016. I don't anticipate any regression in his performances.

 

[Taxus4a]

It is not easy to adpat to the way SKY work, some people wanted to leave the team, but he will have there friends as Beñat, Izaguirre and probably Nieve, so I think wont be a problem. Poels, Nieve, Koning hadnt a contract how Landa will have, they went to SKY to work.

But I get now in this thread to talk abouy the complain Landa has made to dont be in the election for Richmond. I am a fan, but he is wrong in this, he has nothing to help or to to there, he is not good on the flat and the cobbles, he i the oposite.

People in the pre-selection as Madrazo are better for that race. Other things is if there wanst comunication, that is no good, but he has nothing to do in thi world and in the next one.

 

[staubsauger]

Ain't the Izaguirre brothers staying with Movistar? Intxausti finally may be with him as his super-domestique. Hasn't prolonged his contract with Movistar despite ongoing negotiations in late summer, so far.


Anyway, Landa probably won't adapt to the Sky method 100%. Simply as he also never entered Slongo's club superlean. They'll probably try to find the right way for him. So maybe no overtraining etc as Landa seems to be one that rides himself into shape. They might give him a longer peak prior to the Giro, tough. Something like Andalucia, Basque Country, Giro ...

If the Vuelta really visits the Basque Country and ends at Sierra Nevada (?) when in September the heat ain't that much of a factor anymore there. Landa should focus on Giro + Vuelta.

Maybe they'll design a parcours which favors him anyway.

 

[KyoGrey]

Re:

Ain't the Izaguirre brothers staying with Movistar? Intxausti finally may be with him as his super-domestique. Hasn't prolonged his contract with Movistar despite ongoing negotiations in late summer, so far.


Anyway, Landa probably won't adapt to the Sky method 100%. Simply as he also never entered Slongo's club superlean. They'll probably try to find the right way for him. So maybe no overtraining etc as Landa seems to be one that rides himself into shape. They might give him a longer peak prior to the Giro, tough. Something like Andalucia, Basque Country, Giro ...

If the Vuelta really visits the Basque Country and ends at Sierra Nevada (?) when in September the heat ain't that much of a factor anymore there. Landa should focus on Giro + Vuelta.

Maybe they'll design a parcours which favors him anyway.

It's unlikely they ever do it in the Vuelta, but a guy in the Spanish forums reported with photos that the local government has recently paved the road from 2850 m up to the Posiciones del Veleta (+3.300m)

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Ain't the Izaguirre brothers staying with Movistar? Intxausti finally may be with him as his super-domestique. Hasn't prolonged his contract with Movistar despite ongoing negotiations in late summer, so far.


Anyway, Landa probably won't adapt to the Sky method 100%. Simply as he also never entered Slongo's club superlean. They'll probably try to find the right way for him. So maybe no overtraining etc as Landa seems to be one that rides himself into shape. They might give him a longer peak prior to the Giro, tough. Something like Andalucia, Basque Country, Giro ...

If the Vuelta really visits the Basque Country and ends at Sierra Nevada (?) when in September the heat ain't that much of a factor anymore there. Landa should focus on Giro + Vuelta.

Maybe they'll design a parcours which favors him anyway.

Landa and David Brailsford, that should be as akward as Sastre and Bjarne in "Overcoming"

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

Ain't the Izaguirre brothers staying with Movistar? Intxausti finally may be with him as his super-domestique. Hasn't prolonged his contract with Movistar despite ongoing negotiations in late summer, so far.


Anyway, Landa probably won't adapt to the Sky method 100%. Simply as he also never entered Slongo's club superlean. They'll probably try to find the right way for him. So maybe no overtraining etc as Landa seems to be one that rides himself into shape. They might give him a longer peak prior to the Giro, tough. Something like Andalucia, Basque Country, Giro ...

If the Vuelta really visits the Basque Country and ends at Sierra Nevada (?) when in September the heat ain't that much of a factor anymore there. Landa should focus on Giro + Vuelta.

Maybe they'll design a parcours which favors him anyway.

It's unlikely they ever do it in the Vuelta, but a guy in the Spanish forums reported with photos that the local government has recently paved the road from 2850 m up to the Posiciones del Veleta (+3.300m)

Alto de Hazallanas mtf + Pico del Veleta mtt spot on!?

 

[Matteo.]

2016 : Waiting for Landa

 

[jens_attacks]

idolo landa!

mother of god, how strong he was today!

 

[KyoGrey]

This guy when he is in the mood simply explodes races apart in a way not seen for some years...and his style on the bike is wonderful, with a very classic low tempo pedalling

 

[Valv.Piti]

This guy when he is in the mood simply explodes races apart in a way not seen for some years...and his style on the bike is wonderful, with a very classic low tempo pedalling

When Landa is pulling, you always get the feeling he got go even faster. Especially today and honestly, I think he could. Very nice work today!

Hoping to see him next year at Sky in the Giro with Henao and Nieve on his side, possibly Intxausti.