2024 Tour of Spain: Rigo Uran and Daniel Felipe Martinez, Colombia’s cards; Nairo Quintana is the big doubt

The Back to Spain is turning the corner. There are several Colombians who would be in the last major of the World Tourthe highest category of international cycling, Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Uran and Daniel Felipe Martinez would be our country’s options.

On August 17th the Vuelta a España officially begins with an individual time trial in Portugal between Lisbon and OeirasThis will be the penultimate major international cycling competition this year and there are many expectations for the Colombians.

Rigo’s last one

Rigoberto Uran, that could not be in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, will run what would be his last competition as a professional cyclist in SpainThe Colombian cyclist has made it clear for months that this will be his retirement year and he already wants to hang up his bike.

For team preparation and objectives Education Easy-Post, the cyclist born in Urrao (Antioch) could not be in the Tour de France that conquered the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, but it is most likely that he will be in the Iberian race.

Jonathan Vaughters, The American team’s sporting director explained that Rigo is a card they can use for the Vuelta a España. “In the end, Rigoberto will be in the Vuelta a España, which will be his last Grand Tour. Without a doubt, these decisions are not easy, but well, we hope that everything goes well for us.”

“It was a very difficult decision, we have a lot of respect for Rigo for everything he has done for the team, but he didn’t have the pace and we didn’t have many points of reference to evaluate his form,” added Vaughters.

Rigoberto Uran He will be competing in the Vuelta a España for the eighth time in his career, where he was in the Top 10 in two editions: seventh in 2018 and ninth in 2022. Rigo already knows what it is like to win a stage, having done so two years ago in the seventeenth, between Aracena and the Monastery of Tentudia, 162.3 kilometres long.

Nairo is a big unknown

The big doubt for a Back to Spain He is the Colombian Nairo Quintana who is racing the Vuelta a Burgos and is not having much luck in the competition that he was going to use as preparation.

The 34-year-old from Boyacá, who could stay one more year in the Movistar Team After the regular season, he fell in the second stage of the Iberian race and scraped his entire body.

Nairo has not had much luck this season, it is not the first time he has fallen, it also happened to him in the Return to Catalonia. In addition, he has suffered several health problems that have made things difficult for him in events such as the Tour Colombia and prevented him from competing in others such as the O Gran Camiño.

We also have to wait and see what happens with Colombian Einer Rubio, who was also projected for the Vuelta, but withdrew from the race in Burgos.

Now, Movistar will have to evaluate the physical and health condition of the rider born in Cómbita (Boyacá).

Daniel Felipe, an important bet

Finally, there is the case of Daniel Felipe Martinez which was not scheduled for the Vuelta a España, but Bora Hansgrohe’s plans changed due to the Colombian’s spectacular performance.

Daniel finished second on the podium at the Giro d’Italia, a position that was not budgeted for by his team, who decided not to take him to the Tour de France so that he could rest his legs and prepare for the Vuelta a España.

“Now, the Olympic Games, we are looking at the San Sebastian Classic, but the goals now are the Olympic Games, the Vuelta a España and the World Championship,” said the 28-year-old cyclist in an interview, who could be the leader of Bora in Spain.

HAROLD YEPES

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