Is Nairo Quintana close to returning? "We have talked with some European teams thinking about 2024"

Nairo Quintana is still without a team, but that doesn't stop him from being positive and continuing to believe that he will find a squad. Logically, 2023 is about to end and he won't be riding for anyone this year, so he already has his sights set on 2024.

Despite his positive for tramadol and his contract cancellation by the Arkéa-Samsic team, Nairo has not managed to relaunch his career and, although he has tried, he has not found any European team willing to count on his services during the year. Despite this, he wanted to send a clear message to those who believe that he will give up in his quest:

"We are going to continue looking for equipment, this year I have been dedicated to that. It has not been easy, but the idea is to continue. As you have seen I have continued to train very well, I am in very good physical condition and I will continue looking until the possibilities are over.

The Giro d'Italia and Vuelta España winner and two-time Tour de France runner-up has said he is in talks to sign for a team for next season:

"We have talked with some European teams thinking about 2024. We also continue to prepare for our Gran Fondo Nairo (exhibition race) and we have to be well prepared physically and review well the routes on which we will compete. And in general we will continue looking for that possibility because I want to continue giving more joy to my country."

In short, Nairo Quintana is far from taking a step back in his career. His words and actions reflect his willingness to silence critics and demonstrate that his legacy in cycling is far from over. We assume, of course, that the teams Nairomán is talking about do not belong to the MPCC, which has made it very clear that they do not forgive him for his positive test and his subsequent appeal to the CAS that ended in a UCI sanction.