Mikel Landa has abandoned the 2021 Vuelta a España after struggling to find his top form.
The Bahrain Victorious rider came into the race with a very strong team and optimism after he took the overall title at the Vuelta a Burgos, but that quickly faded as it became clear he did not have the legs to stay with the best riders at the race.
Landa abandoned on stage 17 after going on a solo move to try and get across to the day's breakaway.
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In a statement posted by his team, Landa said: "I have not been feeling at my best over the past week, and since the Giro injury, it has been a long road to recover and be ready for this race.
"In Burgos, the feeling was good, but a Grand Tour is a different race."
Landa crashed out of the Giro d'Italia on stage five where he broke his collarbone as well as several other fractures meaning he did not race again until Clásica de San Sebastián in late July.
"Today [stage 17] I tried to get the feeling with an attack to go in the break, but I still was not feeling good." Continued Landa.
"I now need to focus on the following goals and get back to my best. I wish the guys and Jack [Haig] to keep going strong and fight for the podium in GC."
Haig is currently the team's best-placed rider in fourth place at 3-46 behind race leader Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma). However, he is currently 35 seconds off Miguel Ángel López (Movistar) and the podium.
Gino Mäder is also in the top ten for the team after putting in a brilliant performance over the first two and a half weeks with Wout Poels and Damiano Caruso also performing well.
Stage 18 of the Vuelta a España is another mountain stage from Salas to Altu d'El Gamoniteiru with the brutal final climb coming after 162.6km.
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I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.
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