"I consider the Team Arkéa-Samsic to be a family" - Nairo Quintana for another three years

There had been rumours of Nairo Quintana leaving Arkéa Samsic, but the French team's will to keep it's leader has turned out to be significant, and a long-term three-year contract has been signed, set to extend the collaboration for several more years.

“I consider the Team Arkéa-Samsic to be a family in which I feel at home," Quintana said in a press release. "...The team has grown since I joined, and it continues to do so. We started to get good results together in 2020, and that continued last year. This great momentum has continued again this year".

Read also

Nairo Quintana on stardom of new generation: "The career of these young stars will be much shorter"

Quintana at the time came from Movistar Team, and found a place where he became sole leader. Over the three years Quintana has taken wins at Paris-Nice, he also won the overall classification at the Volta Asturias and twice both Tour de la Provence and Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var. This year he remains one of the top performers, with GC and stage wins at Proves and Var, Top5 places at Paris-Nice and Vuelta a Catalunya, aswell as a sixth place at the Tour de France which saw Quintana close to the level he achieved in his best years.

"In 2022, we have performed well. The overall level of the Team Arkéa-Samsic has continued to evolve. The team continues to grow," he stated. "I very quickly became convinced that I still had some great sporting challenges to take up under the Arkéa-Samsic jersey and that our beautiful common history initiated since 2020 could only continue".

Read also

Vuelta a Espana 2022 Prize Money Breakdown with more than 1.000.000 euro on offer

Arkéa Samsic is set to take the step onto World Tour level for the coming three seasons and it is largely due to the points the 32-year old has piled on for the last three seasons. His descent into a more modest calendar had him get his confidence back, and he is after the Tour now aiming high at the Vuelta a Espana with similar ambitions.

The renewal comes just days before the start of the Vuelta, and after assuring the team's promotion, Quintana will be playing a role to assure it's maintenance at the highest level for the coming years.

Read also

Preview: Vuelta a Espana 2022. Final Grand Tour prepares for fireworks over brutal route