Mikel Landa will target the centenary edition of Giro d’Italia in his second year at Team Sky, with the Spanish cyclist revealing his early-season schedule for 2017.
Landa will begin his racing season at the Ruta del Sol/Vuelta a Andalucia in Spain next week (February 15-19). The Spaniard will spearhead a strong Team Sky line-up, with Wout Poels, Diego Rosa, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, and David Lopez also on the roster.
After abandoning the Giro d’Italia on stage 10 last year, Landa will share leadership with Geraint Thomas in this year’s race.
Vuelta a Andalucia will be Landa’s first test this season against grand tours contenders, including Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) or Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) who is also targeting the Giro.
After the Spanish race, Landa will take a short break and he will race next in Tirreno-Adriatico, in March, before heading to Volta a Catalunya alongside Chris Froome. He will then defend his title at the Giro del Trentino, renamed Tour of the Alps this year, which finishes two weeks before the start of the Giro d’Italia.
