"I try to make the most of every piece of advice": Nairo Quintana takes proper care of his successor at Movistar

At just 21, Diego Pescador has already shed the rookie tag at Movistar Team. After stepping up to the WorldTour in 2025, the Colombian starts his second season with greater confidence and the backing of a team that sees in him the return of the pure climber profile. Early-season results support that trajectory: he was second in Classica Camp de Morvedre and finished eighth overall at the Tour of Oman, where he also won the young riders’ classification.

The rider himself acknowledges his growth compared to last year. "This year I’m even better than I expected. I paid my dues last year and now everything’s rolling," he says in an interview with AS.

The Colombian explains that last season’s calendar did not always suit his strengths: "It wasn’t very suitable for me, for my characteristics, racing in events that maybe weren’t ideal. In others, like Asturias and Burgos, I was able to show a bit of my quality."

Looking to this year, he expects a shift in focus that lets him shine on his terrain. !I’ll have a calendar that’s better for showing myself on the climbs, which is where I’m at my best. I know I have to improve some things like the flat," he admits.

Pescador is clear about the direction of his career. To follow in the footsteps of Colombian legends - Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Urán, Esteban Chaves, and the still young Egan Bernal - and to become a GC rider Movistar will be able to rely on. But there's still a long way to go from top-10 at Tour of Oman to top-10 a Grand Tour. One of the areas Pescador knows requires some work is his time trial.

"These improvements are something I need to work on with my coach, especially if I want to be in the fight at week-long races that include a time trial," he explains. His ambition is evident: "I’ve always wanted to be a general classification rider."

A debut at a Grand Tour in 2026 remains uncertain, but he does not hide his excitement. "Going to a Grand Tour this year? It’s an unknown. If it were up to me? Of course. I’d like to test myself in a Grand Tour, see what the suffering is like after the tenth day… I’m very motivated by how things are going."

His immediate target is to cement his place within the team: "Now it’s time to keep growing and establish myself as one of the references."

Based in the Tuscan region of Italy, Pescador shares a room with one of his great role models, Nairo Quintana, with whom he recently raced in Oman. "He’s an idol for many, myself included, and here he’s the boss. I try to make the most of every piece of advice, on and off the bike, because it’s not all cycling," the young Colombian highlights.

In the final classification of the Tour of Oman, Quintana finished one second ahead of his young successor, a symbolic snapshot of the generational change under way at the team. It is a natural transition in which both still have plenty to contribute.