This Saturday, at dawn in Colombia, the Movistar team confirmed the news that Nairo Quintana will return to his finals after leaving at the end of 2019.What was an open secret was confirmed with the team’s official statement, as revealed by EL TIEMPO on Friday afternoon.
Quintana left the coffers of Eusebio Unzué’s team in 2019, when he signed for Arkea-Samsic, a second division team in which he spent three seasons and left in the worst way.
The rider from Boyacá had his best statistics with that team, among them, the titles of the Giro d’Italia in 2014, the Vuelta a España in 2016 and second places in the Tour de France, 2013 and 2015, and third of 2016.
With Movistar, Quintana won 39 victories, the last of which was the second stage of the 2019 Vuelta a España. and he returns in a golden opportunity, when it was considered ruled out that he would return to the World Tour, the highest category of cycling in the world.
(You can read: Colombia achieved a silver and four more bronzes in the Pan American Games).
The bad drink
Quintana was disqualified from the 2022 Tour de France because the substance tramadol was found in two of his blood tests.banned in competition by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
The plotter was not considered a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it will be so from next January 1st, so the runner is not considered a violator of the rules.
Arkea-Samsic decided not to extend the contract, something that had been confirmed during the 2022 Vuelta a España, which is why he was left without a job.
He appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who agreed with the UCI and confirmed the sanction.
Once that news was known, Quintana had a headache, because although he had several squads that had the option of having him, those deals never came to fruition. There was even talk of a veto by the teams, but the arrival at Movistar refutes it.
Responsibilities should not be reversed, it was Nairo Quintana who did not respect international standards and for this reason he was condemned by the UCI and confirmed by the CAS
(In other topics: These are Nairo Quintana’s successful businesses: not everything is cycling).
When the rumor began to circulate that Nairo was the victim of a plot by the UCI and the Tour de France organization, EL TIEMPO began to investigate.
The UCI denied it and confirmed that Quintana had violated a rule of the entity and that is why he was disqualified from the 2022 Tour.
Last January, EL TIEMPO consulted Roger Legeay, president of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), about the current situation of the Colombian rider.
Legeay was emphatic in stating that there was no veto: “There is no need to reverse responsibilities, it was Nairo Quintana who did not respect international standards and for this reason he was condemned by the UCI and confirmed by the CAS.”
(Also: Kevin Quintero increased Colombia’s gold medal at the Pan American Games).
Quintana has been competing in a test for one year and three months, which is still worrying. He has not given up the bicycle and just as he promised in February of this year he will continue pedaling on the roads of the world.
His return to Movistar is a great opportunity to show that at 33 years old he still has cycling skills to be among the best in the international peloton.
Sports
More news in EL TIEMPO
#confirmed #Nairo #Quintana #Colombian #cyclist #returns #Movistar #Team