Only Pogacar could match Nairo Quintana on the Giro's queen stage: "For your own motivation, but also for the team"

Nairo Quintana has had an absolute roller-coaster over the past few years in his career. After a tramadol positive at the 2022 Tour de France, he was left without a team for the 2023 season. In 2024 he signed with his old squad Movistar Team but had terrible luck all year long... But today the only thing preventing him from taking a comeback win was Tadej Pogacar himself.

“This gives a lot of confidence and motivation for the remainder of the Giro and the rest of the season. We have already booked a nice stage victory with Pelayo [Sánchez] in the first week. Then we started looking for more, as I showed today. We want even more," Quintana told Eurosport following the stage. With long and high-altitude climbs, this was certainly a day for the Colombian who has been on rising form during the Corsa Rosa.

He managed to get himself in the large breakaway that went up the road early in the day and seemingly made all the right moves. He followed the wheels throughout most of the day, closed gaps on the Passo del Mortirolo as the breakaway fractured, and waited until the riders got to the Passo del Foscagno to make his move. With Michael Storer working in his group, the Colombian could save his legs for what would be a gruelling effort up the final two climbs.

Quintana attacked with 17 kilometers to go from it and chased down Georg Steinhauser; and then moved off the front by himself towards a stage win. This would be the case if UAE Team Emirates hadn't chased throughout the entire stage. But that was the case, and also early in the climb to Foscagno Pogacar launched an attack that left his rivals to dust. He quickly reached all of the surviving breakaway riders except the Colombian.

But this ultimately happened on the final ascent to Mottolino. Quintana had no response when he was caught, but still finished within 30 seconds of Pogacar and minutes ahead of the GC riders who could barely take any time in the final ascents against Quintana. “For your own motivation, but also for the team," he terms this result; which also promises a lot for the final week of the Giro where he will continue to chase a stage win. "The atmosphere in the team is good. We hope that we can achieve some more good results.”