Friday 15 January 2016 11:23, UK
New signing Mikel Landa will aim to win Team Sky their first Giro d’Italia in May but has admitted he must limit losses in the race’s time trials if he is to succeed.
The 26-year-old Spaniard joined the British squad from Astana on January 1 following a breakthrough 2015 season in which he established himself as one of the best climbers in the sport with two stage victories at the Giro and another at the Vuelta a Espana.
His third place overall at the Giro convinced Team Sky of his potential to win Grand Tours and they will send him to this year's edition as leader, even though the route does not suit him perfectly.
While Landa will relish the five summit finishes, he admits he could struggle on the first two of the race's three time trials, which cover a total of 50.2km of flat or rolling terrain.
Speaking at Team Sky's winter training camp in Mallorca, he said: "We are working to win the Giro. The team is doing everything to help me for that goal, so we will try.
"It is true that there are a lot of time trials, but there are also a lot of mountains. I have to lose as little as possible in the time trials and then try to make a difference in the mountains.
"We were working hard in December on the track to find a better position and now we are training once or twice a week for losing as little as possible. I am feeling more comfortable and faster, but I need a competition to see the results."
Landa revealed he expects to be supported by Leopold Konig, Sergio Henao, Vasil Kiryienka, David Lopez and Ian Boswell in the mountains at the Giro.
He also said that he could lead Team Sky at August and September's Vuelta, which contains 51 categorised climbs and 10 summit finishes.
Landa added: "It's a possibility. The most possible programme for a rider who does the Giro is to do the Vuelta also, because you can have a recovery, but it is an Olympic year and every climber wants to be there because it [the Olympic road race] is a good profile for us."
Landa was arguably in the form and condition to challenge for victory at last year's Giro, and possibly also the Vuelta, but on both occasions he had to sacrifice his own ambitions for those of Astana leader Fabio Aru.
With 2014 Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali also on the Kazakh team's roster, Landa felt he had little choice but to leave over the winter.
He said: "In Astana there were two Grand Tour leaders, and also [Jakob] Fuglsang, who is another leader for other races, so I didn't have much of a place there. Sky offered a place for me, and that is why I am here."
Landa has so far been impressed with what he has seen at Team Sky, not least the conduct of team principal Sir Dave Brailsford and star rider Chris Froome.
He added: "The biggest difference is the little details. There are small things we can do better and here we are looking for marginal gains.
"Brailsford has been a surprise because every day we talk. I have never seen that before in another team - that the manager does all the training camps. It's nice.
"Chris is a very normal person and very accessible. He is always available to give you advice. I didn't meet him before, but I imagine he is the same person before he won the Tour that he is now."
