Volta a la Valenciana, Tirreno-Adriatico, Vuelta al Pais Vasco and Giro del Trentino are the four stage races for Mikel Landa befor he will start the Giro d'Italia, "the goal of the year", in his first year at Sky.

Landa, who turned 26 on Sunday, has confirmed his schedue to BiciCiclismo from Mallorca where he is training with his team from December 6-21. The Spainard and the coaching staff have designed the path to the Giro and the team has responded to the wishes of the rider, showing full confidence in his ability at least repeat the podium performance from 2015 when he finished third behind Alberto Contador and Fabio Aru after winning two stages for Astana.

Landa will start his season in Valencia (February 3-7). "I will go to Andalusia, but I do not plan to race," he tells the Spanish website, explaining his decision to skip the Vuelta a Andalucia. Then he will go to Mount Teide for a training camp before Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-15), a race he last did in 2012. He will return to his home race in the Basque Country (April 4-9) where he started his run of success in 2015 by claiming a memorable win in Aia. The next appointment is the Giro del Trentino (April 19-22) where he finished second  behind Richie Porte in 2015. Those two stage races will again be his final two tests before the start of the Giro in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn, a double that he has done the past two seasons. In Tirreno and Trentino he will test himself against former teammate Vincenzo Nibali, one of his main rivals in May.

He has not completely ruled the Ardennes classics out. "Perhaps I will do Liege (April 24) but it depends on how I feel in the Trentino. If I see that I'm on track for the Giro, I will go there; if not, I will rest and train a little more, always thinking of the Giro, the goal of the year," he says. If he decided to do La Doyennes, it will be his debut in a race that he loves.

The Italian race will be held between May 6-29. He may also do a second training camp at altitude, depending on his first experience in February. He will arrive at the Giro with 22-23 days compared to 17 days in 2015 when his debut was postponed until the Volta a Catalunya in March due to a virus that affected him in the winter.

The Olympics is his goal for August as it offers a profile for climbers like him, knowing that Spanish coach Javier Minguez has said that he will prefer riders who will do the Tour de France like Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez. "At first I did not have the Tour on the calendar, but I'd like to do the Olympics because it's a course that suits me very well and I am look forward to going there. We'll see if I get selected, he tells the Spanish website.