Longstanding Grand Tour star Mikel Landa has expressed that he has ‘unfinished business’ at the Vuelta a España. After supporting Remco Evenepoel in the Tour de France, the Basque rider now has an opportunity to fight for the General Classification (GC) on his own terms.
Landa will be racing in a different team kit from July, as the Soudal-QuickStep squad announced it was rebranding as T Rex Quick-Step specifically for the Vuelta. T Rex is a type of glue produced by the team’s main sponsor, Soudal, which they are keen to promote in Portugal and Spain. The jerseys have been redesigned, featuring a roaring T. rex dinosaur prominently.
Appearing at a press conference flanked by his seven teammates and a human-sized T. rex model clad in the new maillot, Landa described his motivation: “I helped Remco as best I could in the Tour de France, so I’ve done my homework. Here in the Vuelta, I’m going to be a T. rex.” Landa, who finished a surprise fifth overall in the 2024 Tour de France, added he is as hungry as the legendary prehistoric creature at mealtimes.
Landa’s aim is clear: to achieve a Vuelta a España podium finish, something he came closest to in 2015. “I have a bit of unfinished business here,” Landa said. “I’ve done well in the Giro—twice finishing third—and in the Tour. But in the Vuelta, which I didn’t race again until 2021, I would like a big result.”
His strong finish in the 2024 Tour de France has set high expectations. “I’ve recovered well, although I’m not sure I’ll have the same form as in the Tour,” the 34-year-old admitted. “But the Vuelta is a much more open race. Maybe [Primož] Roglič is the key option for overall victory, but the rest of us will be up there.”
Landa also highlighted stages that suit him: “Picón Blanco [stage 20] would be a good stage for me because it’s close to home, so too would Lagos de Covadonga [stage 16]. Not the chronos, though,” he joked, acknowledging his weakness in time trials. “Basically, though, I would like to do as well as in the Giro and Tour de France.”
For the rebranded T Rex Quick-Step, the Vuelta follows an excellent Tour de France, with a third place overall and a stage win for Remco Evenepoel. This success means that whatever Landa achieves in the Vuelta, the pressure will not be as high. However, keeping the GC goals high remains important for team focus.
Teammate Louis Vervaeke is particularly motivated. He told Cyclingnews, “I was motivated to come here because we are going for the podium with Mikel. The team really wanted me to be here, and it was an honour that they wanted to have a really strong lineup. I also really like Mikel as a teammate; even when he was in a rival squad, I was a fan of his. So, I’m really looking forward to helping him get a good GC here.”
On a personal level, Vervaeke has had his challenges, having had to abandon the 2024 Tour de France due to COVID-19. “Firstly, for me, it was pretty hard in the Tour, but I had no choice but to leave because I was really sick with COVID,” he said. “It was tough because I made a lot of effort to build for these Grand Tours. My second child was born in May, so I had ten days at home then went to the training camp at altitude.”
Despite the setbacks, Vervaeke is confident he’s back in good form. “So this time round I had a bit of time off with the family, a few days with no bike and forgetting cycling, then spent a bit of time building up again and gently training. The last week, I’ve been feeling better for the Vuelta.”
On a lighter note, Vervaeke highlighted the fun aspect of the new team kit: “I’ve never had a maillot with a dinosaur on it before,” he said with a grin. This unique design adds a bit of novelty to his collection of jerseys back home.
