Mikel Landa will begin his 2025 season at Strade Bianche on Saturday, the place the Basque rider will face Tuscany’s white roads for the primary time in his profession.
In his second 12 months with Soudal-Quickstep, the 35-year-old opted to delay his racing debut, skipping the early stage races in Portugal and Spain which have historically marked the beginning of his season.
Instead, Landa will deal with the 213km Italian Spring Classic, with its 81.7 kilometres of sterrati throughout 16 sections of white gravel roads. The closing problem of the day would be the steep climb on Via Santa Caterina – with its 16% most gradients coming simply 500 metres from the end in Piazza del Campo.
Strade Bianche supplies an excellent preparation forward of the primary Grand Tour of the 12 months for Landa, named workforce chief for the Giro d’Italia throughout a January coaching camp. The one-day race mirrors a key problem of the Giro, the 30km of Tuscan gravel roads resulting in the stage 9 end in Siena’s Piazza del Campo.
“It’s a brand new race for me and I’m excited, as a result of I’ve all the time beloved watching it on TV,” Landa stated in a workforce launch.
“I do know it is going to be fully completely different to be there on the course, within the thick of the motion, and actually nervous, however I’ll attempt to do my greatest as I get my season underway and simply get pleasure from this expertise.”
Despite having three previous victories – Julian Alaphilippe (2019), Zdenek Štybar (2015), and Michal Kwiatkowski (2014) – Soudal-Quickstep recognises that they aren’t among the many pre-race favourites, particularly with two-time winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on the beginning record.
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“It’s some of the lovely, but additionally one of many hardest races of the season, and we’re motivated to present our greatest and depart the whole lot on the market. It gained’t be simple and we don’t begin because the favourites, however we now have a stable workforce that involves the beginning after some sturdy outings final week, so we’re assured in our possibilities of being concerned within the combat for a pleasant consequence,” stated sports activities director Davide Bramati.
Joining Landa firstly in Siena can be Mattia Cattaneo, Gianmarco Garofoli, Pepijn Reinderink, Pieter Serry, Tour of Oman stage 2 winner Louis Vervaeke and Mauri Vansevenant, who completed ninth general at O Gran Camiño.
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