The riders are already lining up at registration when an unusual scene unfolds before the start of the Giro dell’Emilia. Team-mates, rivals and fellow cyclists form a guard of honour for Nairo Quintana. The Colombian walks through the line with a smile, high-fiving people and savouring the final moments of his career. It is a quiet yet dignified farewell for a rider who has been one of the defining figures in international cycling for years. When the race begins a short while later, Quintana sets off for the last time as a professional.
The Colombian’s retirement marks the end of a career that extends far beyond the achievements of a single rider. Nairo Quintana was part of the generation that brought about lasting change to international cycling for South American stage racers. With his victories in the Giro and the Vuelta, several podium finishes at the Tour de France and numerous successes in the world’s most important stage races, he shaped the Grand Tour scene for over a decade.
From a talented youngster in Boyacá to the very top of the world
When Quintana made his professional debut in 2009 for the Continental team Boyacá es Para Vivirla-Lecheboy, hardly anyone could have imagined that, just a few years later, he would emerge as one of the most successful stage racers of his generation. The Colombian came from a humble background in the department of Boyacá and discovered his passion for cycling at an early age. The long rides along the steep roads of the Colombian Andes laid the foundations for the exceptional climbing skills that would later become his trademark.
Quintana made his international breakthrough in the early 2010s. With his small stature, explosive acceleration and remarkable consistency in the mountains, he quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous stage racers in the peloton. For years, he was among the world’s strongest riders, particularly on long climbs in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
The Giro, the Vuelta and the missed Yellow Jersey
Quintana celebrated his greatest triumph in 2014 at the Giro d’Italia. With several impressive performances in the mountains, he became the first Colombian ever to secure overall victory in the Tour of Italy. Two years later, he crowned his career by winning the 2016 Vuelta a España. There, he prevailed against the strongest field of his time and celebrated his second overall victory in a three-week stage race.
Quintana was also one of the dominant figures in the Tour de France for many years. In 2013, he caused a sensation on his debut by finishing second in the general classification and also won the young rider and mountains classifications. Two years later, he almost repeated this feat (finishing second in the mountains classification) and once again came second behind Chris Froome. He also claimed a total of three stage wins in the Tour de France. Although he was denied the Tour victory he so longed for, Quintana was nonetheless, for many years, one of the few riders capable of seriously challenging the dominance of the great stage racers of his era.
One of the most influential climbers of his generation
His class was by no means limited to the Grand Tours. Quintana won Tirreno-Adriatico twice (in 2015 and 2017), the Tour of the Basque Country in 2013, the Tour of Catalonia in 2016 and the Tour de Romandie in the same year. Particularly between 2013 and 2017, the Colombian was one of the most consistent stage racers in the world and lined up as a contender for the overall victory in almost every major stage race.
Yet Quintana was never the loudest rider in the peloton. He was reserved in his demeanour, and his answers were usually brief. On the bike, however, he was a different story. When the road got steep, the Colombian was one of the most spectacular climbers. His attacks in the high mountains of the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada made him a crowd favourite and a role model for numerous young riders from South America.
When Nairo Quintana finally crossed the finish line for the last time as a professional at the Giro dell’Emilia, it marked the end of a career full of major victories, spectacular mountain battles and unforgettable Grand Tour moments. The guard of honour formed by his colleagues before the start was more than just a friendly gesture. It was a sign of recognition for a rider who had taken Colombian cycling to new heights and who, for many years, had been counted amongst the world’s best stage racers. As Quintana walked through this line of fellow riders, he had come full circle: from the young talent from the mountains of Boyacá to the legend to whom the peloton paid tribute as he bid farewell.
Lukas Niebuhr
Editor