Bahrain McLaren will put all their backing behind Spain’s Mikel Landa for the Critérium du Dauphiné, which starts on Wednesday, as the 30-year-old looks to continue to improve his form less than three weeks out from the start of the Tour de France.
Landa last raced in the Spanish one-day race, the Circuit of Getxo-Memorial Hermanos Otxoa last week, completing well in 71st place, although it arrived just the day after completing the general moment Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep) in the Vuelta a Burgos, where Landa also demonstrated his intelligent form with 3 five most sensitive endings.
“After taking a position for the moment in the overall ranking of the Vuelta en Burgos, I think I will be even better and will be in very good shape for the Critérium du Dauphiné,” Landa said in a team press release on Sunday. “The complicated climbs in the French Alps are very complicated for me. I can’t wait to run there, give my maximum productivity and maintain my smart sense of the race.”
Bahrain’s mcLaren sporting director Gorazd ‘tangelj added: “All of our Dauphiné pilots are there for Mikel, and of them they will have a vital role to play.
Matej Mohori and Sonny Colbrelli are there to make sure Mikel is in a safe place, while Damiano Caruso will be Mikel’s last pilot on the climbs and our road captain,” he said.
Pello Bilbao and Rafa Valls will play the role of “mountain engine” for Mikel, and Dylan Teuns will be there for the mountain and as “team anchor” for positioning.”
Landa is in line in Clermont Ferrand, France, for the five days of the Dauphiné [12-16 August] against the most productive favorites of the Tour de France of Team Ineos and Jumbo-Visma: Egan Bernal, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas, and Primoz Roglic, Steven Kruijswijk and Tom Dumoulin, respectively, who faced others on the Tour de l’Ain last week , where Roglic won this weekend.
Other notable names that will compete in France this week are Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic), Tadej Pogacar of the United Arab Emirates, Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Richie Porte de Trek-Segafredo and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), provided that the Frenchman has recovered enough from a twist of fate in the Vuelta a Occitania.
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