Two weeks after breaking his back during the 2025 Giro d'Italia, Basque all-rounder Mikel Landa is optimistic about his participation in the final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a España.

The Soudal-QuickStep veteran was forced to withdraw during the first stage of the Giro due to a spinal fracture that dashed his hopes of repeating the podium finishes he achieved in 2022 and 2015. While a participation in the Tour de France, another big goal for 2025, seems highly unlikely given the extent of the injury, the 35-year-old was much more confident about his chances of getting back on the bike in June and of being at the start of the Vuelta a Torino on August 23: "'I'm sure I'll be able to be at the Vuelta. Given the circumstances, the fracture was a good one, it's stable and everything is going well,'" Landa told Eurosport. " The pain is getting less every day.'

The rider explained that the brace allows him to walk and move, and that mentally he is also gradually improving. Next week he will have to undergo a check-up X-ray and, if all goes well, in about a month he will be able to remove the brace and start training on the rollers: " Emotionally I felt a bit down, because I had great expectations for this Giro, I was really in great shape" - he confessed - " I had sacrificed the first part of the season for this race, but my dreams of returning to the podium and winning a stage went up in smoke. It is a very long recovery process and it is hard to stay still. When I watch the Giro on TV, I feel envious"

.