Colombia’s Nairo Quintana will be calling time on a long run in the pro ranks. At a press conference on Sunday, he said he will be retiring once the season concludes.
The 35-year-old, who currently rides for Movistar, leaves the sport as one of the best climbers of his generation, as reported by AS. He’s also one of the most successful Colombians in cycling history.
The Giro and Vuelta wins
Quintana is best known for his two big Grand Tour wins. In 2014 he won the Giro d’Italia, becoming the first Colombian to do so. He followed that with another big win in 2016, taking the GC at the Vuelta a España.
The Colombian, who is in his 17th year as a pro, also had podium finishes in the Tour de France.
His Giro dub, which had a bunch of stage wins, was his breakthrough ride that showed he was one of the top riders in the pros.
Two years later in Spain, he held off some of the sport’s biggest names to secure the red jersey in Madrid.
The 2022 Tour de France
His sixth place at the 2022 Tour de France, however, was removed due to positive tests for the banned substance tramadol. At the time he was riding for Arkea-Samsic. Back then, presence of tramadol during competition was an offence of the UCI’s Medical Rules, but not considered to be an anti-doping infringement.
Therefore, he was never suspended. However, the next day after the UCI announced the news, Quintana withdrew from the Vuelta.
Quintana’s last dance
He’s had a solid start to his final year–including a 7th overall at the Tour of Oman. On Monday, he’ll start in the Volta a Catalunya. He’ll be facing some big names there, including Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Derek Gee-West. (There are also three other Canucks racing in Spain.)
Although a final Vuelta appearance is slotted in for him, it’s unclear if he will race the Tour de France one final time.