Mikel Landa will ride for Soudal-QuickStep in 2024 after signing a two-year contract with the team. The Basque arrives after a four-year spell at Bahrain Victorious and he is set to strengthen the supporting cast around Remco Evenepoel for his expected Tour de France debut next summer.
“I am happy and motivated by this new challenge and by supporting Remco in his goals. I come here with a lot of experience, especially in the Grand Tours, where I’ve been fighting for the podium or have helped others win several times in the past,” Landa said in a statement released by Soudal-QuickStep on Wednesday.
“I have always felt comfortable supporting younger riders and I know I will fit in here. I want to give my best in the next seasons, I am convinced I can help Remco a lot, and at the same time, I am confident that when given the opportunity, I can go for a good result myself.”
Landa finished on the podium of the Giro d’Italia in 2015 and 2022, and he has twice finished fourth overall at the Tour de France. The 33-year-old has raced for Euskaltel, Astana, Sky, Movistar and Bahrain Victorious across his 13 seasons in the professional peloton.
“I have been so far on Italian teams, Spanish teams, and British teams, and now I’m looking forward to discovering the Belgian culture,” Landa said.
During his time at Sky and Movistar, Landa occasionally found his freedom to attack shackled by team orders, but his arrival at Soudal-QuickStep seems to mark a new phase in his career as a deluxe domestique.
“We have known Mikel for a long time, he has been a constant presence at the front on the hard climbs of the Grand Tours since turning pro many years ago and we believe he is the right man to strengthen our squad as we gradually shift our attention to the general classification,” said Soudal-QuickStep manager Patrick Lefevere.
“We are looking forward to what we hope will be a strong and successful two seasons together.”
Landa finished a disappointed 19th overall at last month's Tour de France but he has signalled his intention to ride the forthcoming Vuelta a España. His rivals will include Evenepoel, who returns as defending champion.
The signing of Landa comes amid ongoing speculation over Evenepoel’s future at Soudal-QuickStep, with Ineos reportedly keen to extricate the Belgian from his contract with Lefevere’s team.
Evenepoel himself expressed weariness at the rumours after he won the time trial world title last week.
“I hope it calms down, the Vuelta is a three-week race and if I have to hear the same shit for three weeks it's going to be a long Vuelta,” he said.
