Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas had not been lost from the cycling map, but his results, after the successful seasons with Movistar, were never the same, but today he is reborn, at 32 years old he confirms that for what he has achieved he is the most important Colombian cyclist in history.
Quintana arrived at Arkea-Samsic, a second division teamin search of tranquility, to get away from the pressure of always having to win and has managed to consolidate a project that bears fruit, because next season it will be a squad that has the option of being in the world-tour (WT), the highest category of cycling in the world.
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And in that goal accomplished, Nairo has a great responsibility. They owe him a high percentage for being able to enter that select group, after three years of intense pedaling.
He comes from difficult years, like 2020, when the Tour did not go well, he fell and was 17. He had surgery on both knees and began a long recovery in search of his best form, but it was not possible.
2021 was not good. He only adjusted two wins, a stage and the general stage of the Vuelta a Asturias, but passed works in the other competitions. He didn’t shine in the Tour de France in which he finished 28th.
This 2022 came back. Once again he achieved victories in the general classifications of Provence and the Alps, with two stages, with which he adjusted 11 victories so far with Arkea, but he had to prove himself with the best, with the people of the WT, and he did.
After overcoming his positive for covid-19, Nairo was fifth in Paris-Nice and fourth in the Tour of Catalonia, a warning bell of what the 2014 Giro d’Italia champion could do in the remainder of the season.
He arrived at the Tour de France with the big goal of finishing on the podium, a giant goal, but one that he set his eyes on and got into head first. The cause is complicated, since the last time he was in the top three in the race was in 2016.
It was 12 in 2017, 10th a year later, 8th in 2019, 17 in 2020 and 28 last year, results similar to a heavy cross in tow.
This year he defended himself in the windy stages at the start of the Tour in Denmark, surpassed, as he has always done, the pavé day with an excellent qualification and when the Alps arrived he responded.
The mentality
He was second in the fraction with a final in the Col du Granon, He rose from 12th to 5th place overall and was once again with the best cyclists in the world, thanks to his honor, good form and intelligence to race.
“He has the strength in his legs and in his head and that’s why he is where he is.”
He is sixth and with the option of defending that privileged place and, why not, moving up, although it is not easy for him.
“The difference that I see is his age (laughs), nothing else, he is the same cyclist as before, a fighter, with an impressive winning mentality and who does not give up,” he told EL TIEMPO Andrea Tafi, champion of the Giro de Lombardía and the Liège Bastoña Liège in 2007.
And he added: “He is a runner who wants to always be ahead. He has the strength in his legs and in his head and that’s why he is where he is”.
What Nairo has done in this Tour is important for him because the protagonist cyclist, whom many considered retired, was recovered.
Two stages with high finishes are missing, on Wednesday in Peyragudes and the next day in Hautacam, two battles to be fought in the Pyrenees.
The boyacense has 1 min 35 sa Tadej Pogacar, second overall. Lose 1min 31s with Geraint Thomas, third; 1 min 28 s with Romain Bardet, who is fourth, and only 14 seconds with Adam Yates, fifth.
David Gaudi He is seventh, just 9 seconds behind Nairo, and from then on the differences are considerable: Thomas Pidcock is eighth, but Quintana surpasses him by 3 min 41 sec.
“With this team he has had that rebirth of having a revulsive to move forward. I really liked how brave he has been, in a stage with a lot of altitude and he feels good there, he ran in his ‘house’, “he commented Eduardo Chozas, former Spanish cyclist and star commentator for Eurosport.
The stone in the shoe
A flat 40 km time trial is missing next Saturday, in which he will yield at least four seconds per kilometer with the specialists, so it is important that in the Pyrenees adjust more time in your favor.
“The level of the Tour is very high and being in sixth place says everything about what Nairo is. It is certain that he can keep that place and in the Pyrenees he must attack to climb higher, ”he specified. Danilo di Luica, champion of the Giro d’Italia in 2007.
The Italian knows that the time trial is not in his favor, which is why he warns that he must take advantage of the mountains to make the difference with his closest rivals, because with jonas vingegaardthe leader, and Tadej Pogacar, not only the Colombian loses, but the other cyclists, they are far superior, they fight for the title for a reason.
“It is very likely that he will defend those positions. He has every chance to win a stage, it is safer than going for the podium”, added Di Luca, winner in Lombardy 2001, Basque Paris, Amstel Gold Race and the Walloon Arrow in 2007.
“Nairo is a runner who doesn’t give up easily, he likes to train, push himself, he’s a combative cyclist. Mentally he is very strong to face what is coming, ”said Di Luca.
“He has to wait a bit for the two tough stages that are missing and see how the race is planned, make decisions and he knows that, because he is intelligent. He must take advantage of the fight of the others and not be afraid. He knows when to move. Finishing within five is very good for him”, added Chozas.
The Tour enters its last week and Nairo Quintana has the option of ratifying that he has never left cycling, that he is still valid as ever and that he is the best cyclist in the country in history.
(Be sure to read: Nairo Quintana: what is your real aspiration on this Tour? Analysis)
(Also read: Tour de France 2022: classifications, after stage 13)
Lisandro Rengifo
editor of TIME
@lisandroabel
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