It’s official: Mikel Landa signs with Euskaltel-Euskadi and will be the team leader in 2027-28

Mikel Landa will return to wear the Euskaltel-Euskadi jersey. The Basque team confirmed this Saturday the return of the Alava rider for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, a signing with a huge symbolic and sporting component that makes the cyclist from Murgia the leader of the new project of the Euskadi Foundation.

Mikel Landa returns to Euskaltel-Euskadi: the great icon of the Orange Tide will lead the project in 2027 and 2028

After completing the 2026 season with Soudal Quick-Step, Landa will return to the team where he made the leap to professionalism and where he competed between 2011 and 2013 before starting a long career in the elite with Astana, Team Sky, Movistar, Bahrain Victorious, and Soudal Quick-Step itself.

Beyond the sporting impact, Landa's return signifies the reunion between one of the great references of Basque cycling and the structure that propelled his career.

The rider himself explained that this decision has a very special meaning on a personal level.

RECOMENDADO

Evenepoel seeks a historic record in the San Sebastián Classic 2026: schedules and how to watch

An incredible SCOTT Spark under 9 kg with Flight Attendant inverted fork, wheels under a kilo, and ready to race

Sammie Maxwell unexpectedly announces her return to XCO

Shimano warns of a possible price increase due to the war in the Middle East

The toughest Tour de France Femmes 2026 is coming: route, favorites, and decisive stages

Sina Frei and Charlie Aldridge are crowned European XCC champions 2026 in Monte Ceneri

“For me, returning to be part of Euskaltel-Euskadi, putting on the orange jersey again, and reuniting with the Foundation means closing a cycle. I became a professional thanks to this structure, and coming back here in my maturity stage is something truly significant on a personal level”.

At 37 years old, the Alava rider believes that he can still be competitive and contribute both results and experience.

“I come with a lot of excitement and a desire to contribute to the sports project. I feel that I still have the strength and experience necessary to achieve great results and make the fans enjoy”.

His goal will be to lead an Euskaltel-Euskadi that aims to grow in the international calendar, increase its chances of receiving invitations to the major races, and become a reference point in Spanish cycling once again.

Landa also wanted to address the Basque fans directly, leaving a promise that summarizes the spirit of his return.

“In the coming years, I will give my maximum level to correspond to this team as it deserves: making the Orange Tide vibrate again and helping the Basque fans recover their reference riders and team”.

This is not a new bond. From the Euskadi Foundation, they remember that, in addition to having been trained in the structure, Landa also contributed financially to its continuity in 2017 during one of the most complicated moments in the history of the project.

A leader to boost the sporting leap of Euskaltel-Euskadi

The incorporation of the Alava rider represents the most ambitious move of Euskaltel-Euskadi in recent years. The sports manager, Jorge Azanza, believes that Landa's arrival changes the dimension of the team.

As he explained, having an experienced rider to compete with the best will allow them to tackle much more ambitious goals, as well as provide a reference for the young talents coming from the Foundation's youth system.

In the same vein, the president of the Euskadi Foundation, Iñaki Isasi, defined the signing as a key step to consolidate a project that is “sporting, social, and of the country,” highlighting that Landa represents the identity of the structure far beyond his sporting results.

The president of Euskaltel, Luz Usamentiaga, also celebrated the return of the Murgia rider, stating that he returns “to what has always been his home” and highlighting the role he will play as a reference for new generations.

With his incorporation, Euskaltel-Euskadi continues to shape an ambitious project for 2027, to which young riders Hodei Muñoz and Marco Martín will also join, in addition to cyclocross specialist Felipe Orts. But the great standard-bearer will once again be Mikel Landa, the rider who best symbolizes the recent history of the Orange Tide.