There have been diseases and delays, however after a year-long hiatus Nairo Quintana lastly made his return to a WorldTour occasion on the Volta a Catalunya on Monday, a race with which he has sturdy emotional and historic connections.
Quintana, 33, had a constructive take a look at for tramadol and subsequent disqualification from the 2022 Tour de France. In-competition use of tramadol was barred by the UCI in 2019 however was solely added to the WADA banned listing from January 1, 2024. Though Quintana may proceed racing after his constructive assessments, he was unable to discover a crew for 2023.
That each one modified in 2024 after Quintana signed for Movistar, his crew from 2012 to 2019. He began his season on house roads on the nationwide championships and the Tour Colombia. He was then set to race at O Gran Camiño, however a COVID-19 prognosis meant his European debut was delayed by three weeks.
In some methods, the change was for the higher, although, given Catalunya has an excessive amount of private significance for Quintana, as he advised reporters on the stage 1 begin in San Feliu de Guixols.
“I’m more than happy to be right here, I first raced this occasion in 2011, it was my first ever WorldTour race, and I’ve had a number of completely satisfied moments right here since then, like once I received right here in 2016,” Quintana stated.
Second in 2018 and with 5 prime 5 locations total on GC within the Volta thus far, Quintana’s lone stage win within the Volta to this point might have are available 2013, but it surely was Vallter, the summit end which the peloton tackles on Tuesday.
Not solely that, again within the 2011 version a 21-year-old Quintana claimed an important breakthrough triumph within the mountains classification, when he was racing for the Colombia es Pasión-Café de Colombia squad. After that, it was onto his first WorldTour crew at Movistar in 2012 – and the remainder, so to talk, is historical past.
Nevertheless, Quintana performed down his choices within the 2024 Volta a Catalunya, saying that he had been hit laborious by the COVID-19 virus and the sickness “was one of many worst I’ve had.”
“However little by little I’m getting there, and my goal right here is to assist [team leader] Enric Mas,” he added.
“It’s one of the spectacular editions this 12 months, and one of many hardest within the final 10 years. Given what I’ve come via I received’t be as good as ordinary, however I’ll do what I can to assist.
“After getting via COVID, in any case, this can be a nice approach to discover some higher legs and choose up some race rhythm.”
