The 34-year-old Basque cracked the top ten on Pico Villuercas.
Mikel Landa fought tooth and nail on the seemingly neverending climb that witnessed the first showdown between the GC contenders of the Spanish Grand Tours, and for a couple of seconds even dreamed of what would have been an incredible win at the end of a stage that made an important selection in the rankings.
Long before this exciting battle for victory unfolded, the peloton took on three classified ascents, one of which was Alto del Piornal, where Remco Evenepoel surged to a memorable victory in 2022, basically sealing his overall triumph and writing history for Belgium and the Wolfpack. The breakaway, which formed on Puerto de Cabezabellosa, fought for the KOM points there, before being eventually caught on the slopes of Pico Villuercas.
This 14.6km climb, averaging 6.2%, returned for the first time since 2021, the peloton tackling it now from the harder side, one featuring some gruelling slopes of 20% in the last part. Things exploded on the steepest segment of the mountain, with five kilometers to go, splintering an already thinned-out bunch and leaving only six riders in the lead. Mikel found himself distanced, but staged one of the most remarkable comebacks seen in a Grand Tour this season, bridging across with just 800 meters to go thanks to a formidable determination and an heroic effort.
As if this wasn’t enough, the experienced Basque gambled every ounce of energy he still had left on a powerful acceleration with 300 meters left of the stage, opening a small gap on his opponents, who caught him an agonizing 75 meters from the line, where Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) prevailed. Mikel concluded the day in seventh place and made a huge jump in the general classification, where he now sits in ninth, around 25 seconds from the podium.
“I didn’t know what to expect this morning because I didn’t have the best feeling, but in the end, it was a good stage. I gave my best and always kept the confidence, even when I got dropped. I am happy I could return in the group and even try something in the finale. I said to myself there is a chance and went all-in. It wasn’t to be, but I am satisfied with finishing together with the main GC guys and jumping so many places in the standings”, said the leader of T-Rex Quick-Step.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
