Cycling: towards a return of Quintana?

Without a team since breaking his contract with the Arkéa-Samsic formation on October 1, 2022, the Colombine Nairo Quintana 2nd in the Tour de France 2013 and 2015 has disappeared from the radar for several months. Bronze medalist in the road race at the Colombian Championships last February, the 33-year-old climber has not raced since and rumors of a return to a peloton team are becoming increasingly rare. But the former Condor of Movistar could be talked about again by competing in the Tour of Colombia from June 16 to 25.

Asked about a possible participation of Quintana, Mauricio Vargas, the president of the Colombian Cycling Federation, confirmed that the presence of the native of Combita was possible: "The possibility that Nairo Quintana could ride with the Colombian team in the Tour of Colombia 2023 exists,” he said in remarks reported by Ciclismo Internacional. This second-zone race could do good for the winner of the Giro 2014 and the Vuelta in 2016, who was excluded from the last Tour de France due to the use of tramadol, a substance banned by the UCI since 2019.