“I gave up…” | Relief

Mikel Landa finished the time trial that concluded this stage of the Tour de France in seventh place, further enhancing his excellent results.. In the general classification, he was 20 minutes behind Pogacar of Mars, but he finished in a brilliant fifth position, which gives him wings as one of the most complete cyclists in the country. He even overcame difficulties and performed brilliantly in the time trial, which was one of his weak points. Seventh place shows him to be an athlete who can withstand difficulties and show his best in stressful situations. It is a pity that he could not beat João Almeida, who was more than a minute ahead of him. Despite this, he held his head high, especially on a day when even he himself did not expect to achieve such a brilliant result. So much so that Alberto Contador, while giving him an interview on Eurosport, discovered an anomaly on his bike. truly amazing for the elite of this sport.

In particular, we are talking about traditional clutches, on which the bike on which Mikel Landa reached seventh place in the stage classification. What does this mean? Usually, Professionals usually carry unique attachments that best adapt to their size, shape, and the position in which they feel most comfortable.. Not only those who are called upon to do great things in time trials, but also the strong men of the race who try to use every resource at their disposal to gain time and climb the overall standings. In short, for Mikel Landa, the most natural thing would be to have his own settings, such as the height of the saddle or pedals. A detail that may go unnoticed by the general public, but not by a great champion like Alberto Contador.

Now a Eurosport commentator told him: “In my personal capacity, I see that you are using traditional couplings that were not custom made for you.. I hope that for the Vuelta a España, which also ends with a time trial, you have the equipment that a good time trialist deserves.” which suggests that the secret has been revealed.

However, his answer is based on self-criticism: “This is something we’ve completely neglected. With Chronos, I kind of gave up. And then the day you miss it, you regret it. You say, “Joe, I wish I had worked a little harder.” So before La Vuelta, we have to pull ourselves together.” A sincere testimony that only improves his results. Mikel Landa did not prepare thoroughly for the time trial. He was never good at it. He didn’t even have the best car . . suitable for achieving the best results. Conversely, in his great Tour de France he managed to finish the stage seventh. and fifth place in the general classification. Nevertheless.

A few minutes earlier, the Spanish cyclist had visited the microphones of Spanish television, where he had joked about his unexpected and at the same time fantastic performance. The interviewer assured him that it was the best time trial he had ever done in his life, to which Landa, laughing, replied: “Don’t forget that I took second place in the Spanish Championship.Something a colleague from a public channel asked him about, always in a joking tone: “Yes, that would be childish.” To which Mikel again responded with a laugh: “No, man, like a pro“.

It’s a relaxed atmosphere, typical of the Tour de France, where everything runs smoothly.. Spanish cycling completed a brilliant performance with two entries in the top ten of the general classification: Mikel Landa (5th place) and Carlos Rodriguez (7th place). Moreover, the first was the loyal and sociable Remco Evenepoel, third after the two aliens. Enric Mas also played a great role, always combative and striving for victory on a stage he resisted. Like Lazcano. Yours and any domestic athlete’s – a small spot on a fantastic sheet that can be exploited. This is the attitude that Landa deserves, having signed one of the time trials of his life, when even his bike was not ready. His “throw in the towel” is now a message to his future self: there is no room for rest in the Vuelta.Victory is possible.