Nairo Quintana has made it clear that, although he is deeply motivated to make his return to WorldTour racing next February, he’s keeping his feet on the ground when it comes to taking top results.
Quintana, 33, will begin racing again next year with Movistar, his team from 2012-2019, after a hiatus of over 12 months following his positive test for tramadol and subsequent disqualification from the 2022 Tour de France.
In-competition use of tramadol was barred by the UCI in 2019, but it will only be added to the WADA banned list from January 1, 2024. But although Quintana was allowed to continue racing after his positive tests, he was unable to find a team for 2023.
This autumn, Quintana has already appealed to Colombian fans not to have overly heightened expectations, and in interviews both before and during the Movistar team launch this week, he repeated that request.
“Everybody wants me to win, but we have to be conscious that a new generation of riders has come through and they’re fighting very hard,” Quintana told El País. “Although I am very keen to race and I still have a good motor, I don’t think I’m going to be the same rider as before, with all these ‘super-winners’ on the scene.
“I shone brightly as a rider for roughly a decade, we’ve seen how many riders from my generation have already given up racing in the last two years, and some that continue are seriously demotivated.
“But I’m feeing very motivated, because I’ve come into racing again with new energy and a new way of seeing cycling. I’ll do my utmost to support the team and help Enric Mas, who is the leader of the squad.”
Asked at length about how he felt concerning the positive for tramadol and the year-long hiatus from racing, Quintana argued, “What I can say, so as not to discuss the subject any more, is that it was very tough for me, never expected and very painful. I don’t want to go into the subject too much so I don’t hurt anyone or start blaming people.”
“It’s been a difficult year and what I want to do now is to leave it behind. Not to forget, because it’s impossible to forget that, but to close that chapter and see how the sun shines from now on.”
Back to the Giro d’Italia
Quintana expressed his fervent thanks to Movistar for giving him the opportunity to race again but warned that he would not be fighting at the level of the top stars in the sport.
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