Even if he has chosen the Tour for 2023, the fact remains that Mikel Landa's 2022 was above all an Italian affair. In the 67 days of racing last season, the only noteworthy flashes and placings came in fact between Tirreno, Giro and Lombardia: all closed in third place, with sensations of various colors. On Tuesday there will be 33 candles on her cake and probably the time of great dreams is coming to an end, but before writing it off we should look at the data. And the data says that Landa's hillclimb performances are among the best everBut if until a few years ago they were enough to keep up with Contador, Aru, and Nibali, now they're barely enough to reach the podium. As if getting on the Giro d'Italia podium was a small achievement! This is cycling todayAnd if you don't make room, you end up under the train.
«Returning to the Giro podium seven years after the first time – smiles the Basque – was important. In 2021 I was very strong, but I had a fall that left the speech incompleteThe podium gave me confidence that I can still do good things. There's not much to change, though; the preparation will be the same. What's different is that... In 2023 I'll do the Tour, which next year will be better than the Giro. Partly because it's the Tour. Partly because there are fewer time trials.. And partly because we start from the Basque Country, from the streets of home."
The closed doors
The first retreat of the Bahrain Victorious It is once again taking place behind closed doors. Communications take place via video conference, while in the surrounding hotels the coming and going of journalists is certainly regulated, but well appreciated. The return to normality takes different times, you have to know how to wait.
«I rested well – says Landa – we worked to recover the problem I had in my gluteus and shoulder, the result of yet another crash. I'm fine now, and it was already evident at the Lombardy race. Time passes, and I'm starting to feel like I'm among the older guys in the group. I'll try again to stay with the leaders who dominate cycling. The fact is that they are very complete and have very strong teams, so the only thing to do is to always try. hoping to recognize their possible dark day. That's their only weakness: the fact that they are human too».
Trust Lombardy
The preparation remains unchanged, the objectives are revised. Victory is still missing. Despite having won the 2021 Vuelta Burgos, the last time Landa celebrated a finish was at the 2019 Coppi e Bartali: eternal weather. Spain is mild outside, with gray days, but the mercury hovers around 15 degrees, allowing you to train in shorts, while in Italy it's finally raining.
«I would like to get close to the podium of the Tour – he says – compete in week-long races like the Basque Country, the Tirreno or the Catalunya. And finally try to win a stage. I miss throwing my arms up in the air. Having finished 2022 with the podium of Lombardy It's a great motivation. It was a high-level race and reminded me of my potential place in the group. I'd already run it nine times, almost every year, and I'd always dropped out (I finished in 2013 and 2015, ed.). Getting on the podium and having fun makes it one of the best days of 2022.».
The new Spain
So there will be the Tour and there will be the streets of home, carrying the torch of Spanish cycling which is undergoing a profound renewal with Valverde's farewell.
“The Tour starts in the Basque Country,” he says, his eyes shining, “on our roads and in front of our fans. It will be a historic moment. Great for the fans, but we riders will have hair on our backs. straight on the armsI'll have double the motivation and responsibility, more than usual. We'll have to make the most of it. 2022 was a good year for Spanish cycling, after the fans had become accustomed to Contador, Purito, Valverde, Freire, and Samuel Sanchez. Now I'm here a Mas (typical old farm), Ayuso e RodriguezThey may not have the stature to win yet, but they'll be there fighting. I'm sure their passion will soon return.
