Tour de France: Landa ordered to wait for Froome in Massif Central crisis
Spaniard slots back into pure domestique duty





The Pyrenees had seen 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Mikel Landa emerge at the heart of one of the biggest points of intrigue at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France, yet all the talk of 'cards' and even internal rivalry seemed to be n🍰ipped💫 in the bud in the Massif Central on Sunday, with the Spaniard slotting straight back into pure domestique duty.
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After 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:riding away from team leader Chris Froome at the Peyragudes summit finish, and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:breaking away on the short stage to Foix, Landa jumpe🐼d to fifth overall, yet Froome's surprise retrieval of the yellow jersey on Saturday cast the 2015 Giro d'Italia podium finisher back into his former role.
With the team back in yellow, control was once again the order, and when Froome was 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:cut adrift on the approach to the first-category ܫCol de Peyra Taillade on Sunday, Landa was ordered to drop from💜 the group of favourites to help pace Froome back into contention.
"The team told me to drop back. It was Sergio [Henao] and [Mikel] Nieve with him on the final climb, and when they weren't able to stay with him anymore, I had to stop," Landa explained ♕to repor﷽ters in Le Puy-en-Velay.
"I joined him, and we tried to save the day."
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Landa had said on Friday that he would 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:love to win the Tour de France and be the top dog, b♌ut that he knew his place. Nevertheless, his maverick streak is no secret after his 2015 season at Astana, where he was forced to sacrifice himself for Fabio Aru at the Giro before ripping out his earpiece t⛎o win the queen stage of the Vuelta.
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Asked if he was a𓂃nnoyed a✃t being ordered to leave the group of favourites to sacrifice himself for Froome, his tone was one of acceptance.
"Everyone😼 has their way of seeing ✱things," he said. "You can't please everyone."
The Spanish broadcast journalists who, given the lacklustre nature of Alberto Contador's Tour de🍸 France, have swarmed around Landa the past few days, are clearly itching to bring out the 27-year-old's devilish side. One put it to him that Froome looked to be struggling as he followed the wheel back up to the GC group, hinting that Landa is the stronger rider at Sky.
"It's normal, is𓃲n't it? He had just done a big extra effort, so it's normal that that takes its toll," Landa replied.
"I think he's in really good shape. To salvage theﷺ situation he faced today, that shows he's pretty good."
As for his ow🍸n form, Landa says he's feeling strong but ෴once again pointed out that the exertions of May's Giro d'Italia could make themselves felt at any point.
"I don't really know [how good I'll be in the third week]. I'll tell you Tuesday," he said. "For now I'm feeling really good, and I hope it's the same on Tuesday and bey𒁏ond, too."
Patrick is♎ a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.