Landa aims for Vuelta form, Alaphilippe aims to win again: a decisive weekend for Soudal Quick-Step

Alaphilippe won the race in 2018, and Landa, who rides the race every year in what is practically his backyard, has twice finished in the top ten and will try to improve on his best performance of fifth place. Landa finished a commendable fifth in the recent Tour and hopes to maintain his peak form heading into the Vuelta. The same goes for Alaphilippe, who won a stage at the Tour of Czech Republic and had a strong road race at the Olympics. Loulou played a key role in the final, helping compatriots Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte both secure medals.

This year, the race in the Basque Country features a different finale. The summer classic is longer than usual, and the end is marked by a new climb, the Pilotegi. With an average gradient of 11.7% and a staggering maximum incline of 27% in the last 500 meters, this 2 km wall is conquered with just 7.5 kilometers to go. From there, it's a descent towards the streets of San Sebastián.

Ahead of the race, the team expressed their expectations in a press release. "We have won this beautiful event several times before and we want to put on a good show again. We're coming with Julian, who put in a strong performance at the Czech Tour, and Mikel Landa, in his first race since finishing a solid Tour de France in the top five three weeks ago. Both are highly motivated and have a good team around them ready to support them," team director Wilfried Peeters told us ahead of the race.