Nairo Quintana reflects on his 2023: "I've never pedalled as much in my life as I have this year"

2023 is proving to be a more than complicated year for Nairo Quintana. However, in recent interviews in Andorra to different Spanish media, the Colombian wanted to make it clear that he is still looking for a team for next season.

Recently he has again seen sports directors of WorldTour squads such as Bahrain Victorious deny interest in signing him through a message on social networks. Nairo's situation this year is unheard of: never before have we witnessed a similar situation, in which an elite cyclist sounded for numerous squads and almost all of them came out to dismiss the rumour in public.

That has happened and continues to happen. However, as we commented, despite everything, Nairo keeps trying. In recent statements the Boyacá native commented on his Instagram account that he has never done so many kilometers on a bicycle as in this stormy 2023:

"I have never cycled as much in my life as I did this year, when I had to stop racing. I pedalled for my family, my dreams, my bicycle and my business. This is the moment I had to believe in myself the most."

CONCURRENT SITUATION.

So, as of today, things are not easy for the winner of the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. His positive for tramadol at the Tour de France 2022 and, above all, his subsequent appeal to CAS, continues to take its toll on him. It is true that the level of criticism from the UCI towards him has been mitigated, but the MPCC continues to deny him the opportunity to race despite the fact that his positive was for a substance not considered doping when he took it (it won't be until next year) and he served his corresponding sanction by losing the points he earned in the Grande Boucle.

We will see what happens in the next few weeks and whether or not Nairo can get a team to be able to compete next year.