Bahrain-Mclaren
Looking for: At least one stage win is likely, and Landa could challenge for the podium
What better way to emulate the success of Ineos Grenadier than to hire those who were once a part of it? That appears to be the logic at Bahrain-mclaren, who have for this season used the British squad as a source to overhaul their squad.
Their most exciting new addition is Mikel Landa. The Basque climber showed flashes of brilliance for Ineos to finish fourth at the 2017 Tour while riding for Chris Froome, and continued to sporadically impress for Movistar over the next two seasons, but at both teams he was never given sole leadership status at Grand Tours. With Bahrain-mclaren’s former leader Vincenzo Nibali having departed, that won’t be the case this year, and the cycling world holds its breath in anticipation for what he’s capable of once let off his leash.
Damiano Caruso’s victory in the Spanish 1.1 Circuito de Getxo aside, the team has had a slow start post-lockdown, Landa included. The 30-year-old showed strongly at the start of Critérium du Dauphiné but faded to an uninspiring 18th overall.
Joining him will be renowned climbing super-domestique Wout Poels, who signs directly from Ineos and is famed for his crucial role in four of their yellow jersey victories. Italian and Austrian fastmen Sonny Colbrelli and Marco Haller will carry the team’s hopes in the sprints after the decison was taken to leave Mark Cavendish at home as the Manxman procliamed himself “not ready” to compete at the Tour.
Even at management level, former Ineos DS Rod Ellingworth has been recruited as the team’s new general manager in the hope that he can replicate his success there. Winning yellow with Landa will be his modus operandi, but with the likes of Grand Tour stage winners Matej Mohoric and Pello Bilbao in the team, as well as the aformentioned sprinters, the team has plenty of plan-bs to fall back on.
STAR: Mikel Landa (Spa)
There are few things yellow jersey contenders dread more than Mikel Landa accelerating in the mountains, and this year he’ll be free to attack at leisure without a team-mate to pull rank on him. Whether he’ll be up to make any attack stick on current form remains to be seen.
HITTER: Wout Poels (Ned)
The tall Dutchman on the front of the GC group driving up a mountain as riders go out the back is a familiar sight at the Tour and while he’ll probably be used more sparingly at Bahrain-mclaren than Ineos he’ll be vital to Landa’s hopes in the mountains.