Soudal Quick-Step furious as doctor’s car ‘takes out’ Mikel Landa at Itzulia
Mikel Landa crashed hard during stage two of the Itzulia Basque Country. Despite the severity of the crash, the 36-year-old was able to get back on his bike and finish the stage. What initially appeared to be a racing incident now seems to have had a different cause, with his team pointing to a collision involving a race vehicle.
Landa was part of a chasing group behind stage winner Paul Seixas when the crash occurred. The home rider hit the ground at high speed on a straight section of the descent from the San Miguel de Aralar, lying still for a moment and causing immediate concern.
Despite the impact, he was able to remount and continue, eventually finishing the stage in 67th place, more than thirteen minutes behind Seixas.
According to team CEO Jurgen Foré, the cause of the crash was not rider error or race dynamics, but interference from the medical convoy.
“The doctor’s car simply took Mikel Landa out on a narrow and fast descent,” Foré said to Het Nieuwsblad. “He was just 10 seconds behind the group in front. Why would a doctor’s car need to overtake riders in that situation? It’s incomprehensible.”
He added that the team had not received any apology in the immediate aftermath. “We do everything for safety, and then something like this happens. As a team, you are left with nothing, yet you take the consequences.”
Race organisers later confirmed that the driver of the medical car, Santiago Blanco, had been removed from the race following the incident. He was also issued a yellow card and fined 500 Swiss francs.
Landa was taken to hospital for further examination, but did not suffer any fractures, according to Marca. He is expected to attempt a return to racing on Wednesday.
The Spaniard had lined up at the Itzulia Basque Country as part of his preparation for the Giro d Italia, where he is set to lead Soudal Quick Step in the general classification. It marks a renewed opportunity for Mikel Landa to ride for his own ambitions following the departure of Remco Evenepoel to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Landa previously finished third at the Giro in 2022.
He also returns to the race with recent history, having crashed heavily at last year’s Giro, where he sustained a fractured vertebra that kept him sidelined for an extended period and only allowed him to resume racing at the Vuelta a Burgos in August.
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