Times are changing. Ten years ago, when Nairo Quintana won the Giro d'Italia and rode into Trieste in the pink jersey, a 15-year-old boy from Slovenia stood on the route and applauded wildly. Well, Tadej Pogacar's applause was for compatriot Luka Mezgec, who won the stage back then. But the slight Quintana was the figure to cheer at the time, the first Colombian to win the Tour of Italy and the only one who was believed to be capable of breaking Team Sky's dominance at the Tour.
A decade later, Sky - now Ineos Grenadiers - is almost a sad case when it comes to success in road cycling. Pogacar, the spectator of yore, has risen to become the industry's cover boy. And Quintana is a little older man who is out for revenge above all else. In sporting terms, he wants to show that he is still a force to be reckoned with. Above all, however, he does not want his career to end as an alleged doping offender.
Nairo Quintana: Doping case 2022
After the 2022 Tour de France, the Colombian was suspended by the UCI due to two positive tests for the painkiller Tramadol. He was stripped of his results - a sixth place overall and second place on the mountain stage to the Col du Granon, where
where Jonas Vingegaard laid the foundation for his first Tour triumph. The Arkea-Samsic team at the time immediately distanced itself from Nairo Quintana and withdrew him from the line-up for the Vuelta. However, because Tramadol was not yet on the WADA doping list, the rider was not banned. He even competed for Colombia in the subsequent World Championships. However, that was Quintana's last major appearance in international cycling for more than a year. From then on, he was only seen at the national championships.
Return to professional cycling
At the start of the season, however, his old team Movistar brought him back on board. There are many reasons for this. The racing team lacks top riders. Carlos Rodriguez, who had already signed a pre-contract, decided to stay with Ineos Grenadiers after all. The US-American Matteo Jorgenson favoured Visma | Lease a Bike for his future career - and immediately won the Paris-Nice long-distance race for the new racing team. The eternal star Enric Mas remained alone in the house. Quintana should take some of the pressure off him with good placings.
"Nairo is no longer at the level of his best years. But he can still achieve good results and is still part of the extended world elite in the high mountains," says team boss Eusebio Unzue, explaining the move. Another motive is of a more emotional nature. "Cycling was unfair to Nairo. We want to give him a chance to rehabilitate," says Unzue, alluding to Quintana's suspension and the reluctance of other teams to sign him up for the 2023 season.
In addition to the feared damage to his image, the fact that Quintana is not considered an easy character is also likely to have played a role for many racing teams. "Of the leaders I've had to deal with, Quintana was clearly the most difficult," said Australian Rory Sutherland, the Colombian's team-mate for three years and one of his helpers in the 2016 Vuelta victory, after his career ended. "He makes emotional decisions and doesn't always trust the team," Sutherland explained his statement.
Chances of overall victory at the Giro?
The Giro will show to what extent the more than one-year break from racing has changed Quintana in this respect, and to what extent Movistar is also better able to deal with the unconventional oldie. The prospects of winning the Tour are limited. Above all, the many time trial kilometres do not suit him. His preparation was also hampered by a Covid-19 infection in the spring and a ligament injury in his arm. On the other hand, he knows a lot of mountains.
He also has fond memories of the potentially decisive Monte Grappa, which will be ridden twice on the penultimate day. He won the mountain time trial there in 2014. Ten years later, he has to prove that he can be the best on this climb, not only on his own but also with the team.
