‘I’m very jealous’: Landa sees something familiar in Enric Mas’ Vuelta breakthrough

So when he looks at Enric Mas wearing the leader’s jersey at La Vuelta, there is admiration in his reaction, but also something more personal.

“I’m very jealous of him,” Landa told MARCA. “Nobody has given him anything. He’s been on the podium at La Vuelta four or five times. Persistence pays off.”

It is an unusually candid assessment from a rider who can recognise much of his own career in Mas’ journey. 

Both have carried the expectations that come with being among Spain’s leading Grand Tour riders. Both have repeatedly finished close enough to victory for anything less than winning to be treated as a disappointment.

Now Mas is in the position both men have spent years chasing.

“He has the lead now, he looks very strong and confident, and hopefully he can keep it,” Landa said.

For Landa, watching that happen comes at a very different moment in his own career. The 2026 season has been, by his own admission, the worst he has experienced as a professional. La Vuelta began with the same struggles that had followed him through much of the year, although there are finally signs that his form is beginning to return.

“It took me a little while to get going, but I finished last week feeling a bit better,” Landa said. “The rest day has helped too, and I’m optimistic about this week.”

He is not talking about a late push for the general classification. Instead, Landa is looking towards the mountain stages still to come, particularly those around Granada and Málaga.

“Saturday, and then next week, the ones around Granada and Málaga. Those are the stages that suit me best.”

After a season in which very little has gone to plan, being able to target stages again is already progress.

The World Championships are also approaching, but Landa does not expect to be there. Juan Ayuso and Enric Mas increasingly look like Spain’s main cards for Montreal, while Landa admits his own form is not good enough.

“I don’t think I’m good enough this year to go,” he said. “If I see Valverde, we’ll talk about other things.”

The priority now is simply to finish the season well.

“I want to finish as well as possible. Fortunately I’m not having any major physical problems. I want to finish with a bit of form, think about next year and forget this year, because it’s been the worst of my career.”

With the World Championships unlikely to be part of his plans, Landa is already looking further ahead.

His move to Euskaltel gives him a clear focus for 2027 and carries more meaning than a straightforward change of teams.

“For me it’s been something wonderful,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been dreaming about for years. We didn’t know if it would ever be possible and we said, come on, it’s now or never.”

The move reconnects him with Basque cycling and offers a fresh start after a season he is keen to leave behind.

“I’m very happy with the new project and the new season.”

There are still opportunities at La Vuelta, particularly in the mountains, but his direction is clear: finish the season strongly and then turn the page.