Landa eases up on GC ambitions for 2026: ‘I want to help guide the new generation’

That does not mean Landa is giving up on the overall classification completely. “I still want to be involved in the general classification, but perhaps without that obsession of standing on the podium,” he said. The experienced climber has twice finished third in the Giro d’Italia and came close to a Tour de France podium on more than one occasion, but now appears ready to race with a little more freedom.

A lot has changed at Soudal Quick-Step this season following Evenepoel’s move away from the team, and that also opens up a different role for Landa beyond simply riding in support of a clear team leader. “I want to guide the new generation, help them, bring in my experience and just be part of the team,” he said.

His relationship with former team leader Evenepoel appears more distant now, with the pair only briefly speaking ahead of the opening stage of the Tour of Catalonia. Evenepoel had still made it to the start after his travel issues on Tenerife, where snow temporarily left him stuck on Mount Teide before he eventually got down with a police escort. Landa summed up their short exchange with a smile: “We asked him how he got down from Teide, whether he skied or rode his bike, and that was about it. He looked fine.”

Landa is now in his sixteenth season as a professional and has seen generations of riders come and go, yet he remains competitive in the mountains. According to the Spaniard, that longevity has only been possible through constant discipline. “That required a lot of sacrifice and perseverance. Our success and our performances are based on daily recovery, so you have to be working on it every single day.”

Although he is in the final year of his current contract, Landa is not thinking about retirement just yet. “My plan is to continue. Over the course of the year we’ll see whether that is here or somewhere else, and under what conditions,” said the Soudal Quick-Step rider, who has also made clear in recent months that he still sees a future for himself within a changing team structure after Evenepoel’s exit. His focus may be evolving, but his ambition to keep racing at the highest level clearly remains intact.