Rigoberto Urán speaks out about Nairo Quintana and Miguel Ángel López not being able to compete; You will be surprised by his words
Cycling
In a cycling context full of uncertainty for two of Colombia's most recognized names in road cycling, Rigoberto Urán has offered his perspective on the situations involving Nairo Quintana and Miguel Ángel López.
The journey of Nairo Quintana and Miguel Angel Lopez in 2023 has not exactly been what they had hoped for. Nairo, due to his positive for tramadol, has not been able to secure a place in a team for this season. On the other hand, Lopez, who was competing, was forced to stop his participation due to a precautionary suspension for a doping case issued by the UCI.
When questioned about the situation of his colleagues, Urán said: "I've been racing in Europe for almost 16 years, we haven't seen any problems. In reality, many times, even if you're inside the circle, you don't know what's going on. Many times you don't understand. But yes, it's clear that they are two very strong riders."
Urán highlighted the impressive record of victories of both riders and the influence they could have on the new generation. "They have an incredible track record, among the riders who have won the most races, and yes, we need them. With them there would also be more kids who could be inspired, because really when we are racing, the kids are watching us, so it motivates them."
The Colombian cyclist also reflected on the importance of maintaining competitiveness in Colombian cycling and pointed out the need to create more technical races to measure performance.
"Now those results, which are like for decades, for centuries. Now we see the Danes winning medals. We had a time when we did not get off the podium of the biggest races and, obviously, that cannot be, it cannot end because there are many seedlings, many children of 12 or 13 years old who practice cycling, and schools come out. I have always said that we have to have more technical races. How can you measure how good you are, with the best, right?"
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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"Rigoberto Urán se encuentra nuevamente en Colombia" Así fue el gran recibimiento que le dieron al Toro de Urrao en Pereira, casi se armó una fiesta, cuando el paisa apareció con su familia. "Grande Rigo".😍🤣👍 ciclismocolombiano.com/actualidad/asi…
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