Nairo Quintana, mature and aware of the moment of his career in which he finds himself: "I know that not everyone can like me"

Nairo Quintana has been in the news in recent days due to his recent signing with Movistar Team. The Colombian rider is giving a series of interviews in Colombian territory in which he has touched on different topics.

In statements collected by the colleagues of CiclismoColombiano, Nairo talked about what it means to be a sports idol in a country like Colombia: "Sports idols are very important for society because they give validating messages. The more respected the athlete is, so is his or her message. Therefore, I feel that we should love them and encourage them more, because they are the true influencers that the country needs, to show them that there is a path with opportunities in life and that if they believe in their dreams it is possible to pedal them".

Nairo also touched on another sensitive issue, that of criticism. The Movistar rider believes that there are 'haters' of cyclists who are dedicated to criticize simply because they like someone else better, which he does not understand:

"I know that not everyone can like me. You may like another rider or feel more admiration for others and that's acceptable, the only thing I ask is that you don't speak ill of the other rider who hasn't hurt you. If your preference is for another rider, then you have to support him and write nice things to him. That is very important for the athlete".

Article written by Juan Larra.