Nairo Quintana: "I have not cheated, I have my head held high"

Nairo Quintana is training in Europe while looking for a new team. The Colombian cyclist has a complicated future since he tested positive for tramadol in the last Tour de France. In statements to ESPN he has again stressed his innocence.

"I have not cheated, I have my head held high," he said. "We were in the nationals, I wanted to win, that's the reality. I'm in a good level, we continue forward, with the hope of having a bib for important races and the day that is achieved will be a great victory, not only for Nairo but for Latin America and Colombia".

He feels in shape with the training he has been doing in Europe for several weeks: "I still have the conviction that I can do it and this conviction is ratified by the numbers in training".

He has hopes of signing for a team: "I have been talking to different people, having different talks and at this moment any team can sign me without any problem. We have to believe that some of them are already complete and that makes everything very difficult.

Finally, he describes everything that has happened to him in recent months: "The problems of the Tour presented themselves, they got bigger, it became difficult and then one is filled with rage. But finally I have gone through cycles of cycles and I don't want neither to fight, nor argue, nor point fingers, because it has happened as it has happened. "

"At this moment what I want is to show what is beautiful, what Nairo has done in his sporting career. It's not worth it to get into more litigation. Now we have to focus on training hard, to be at a good level and that we can be racing soon".