Spanish WorldTeam squad Movistar wasn’t able to sign Carlos Rodriguez or any other stage race aces over the past two months, but on Saturday the outfit declared that it signed their old boy Nairo Quintana for 2024. Quintana last rode for Arkea-Samsic in 2022 before a tramadol positive taken from a sample at the Tour de France–where he placed sixth–seemed to end his career.
We just signed this chap.
Your feelings in one GIF.
Go. 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/rOCtRJoZMi
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) October 28, 2023
With no team, Quintana came third in this year’s Colombian national road championship behind Esteban Chaves and Dani Martinez.
Quintana originally raced for Movistar from 2012 to 2019, back when the team was a powerhouse, and spent three seasons with Arkea-Samsic. In his time with Movistar he took a Giro title, three stages wins and its white jersey; a Vuelta victory and two stage wins; three Tour de France podiums, three stages, two white jerseys and a polka dot jersey, two Tirreno-Adriaticos, a Vuelta a Catalunya, an Itzulia Basque Country and a Tour de Romandie.
It’s unclear what Quintana’s race schedule will be in 2024. Grand Tour GC-wise, Movistar’s top riders in 2023 were 11th at the Giro (Einer Rubio), 16th at the Tour (Alex Aranburu) and sixth at the Vuelta (Enric Mas). In total the team had 16 victories in 2023, three of which were WorldTour.
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