Over the last few months there have been talks about Nairo Quintana's future, with rumours of several teams interested in the Colombian and that a move away from Arkéa Samsic seemed likely at the end of 2022. With the Tour de France now concluded, the mindset is different, and an agreement seems to be close.
“I am close to signing with them. The team keeps getting better and they respect and they want me," Quintana revealed in an interview with AS. "They listen to my opinions, and we want to continue if the option is there... This year we’ve been in the Top10 in all the main races, and that means that I’m still there and can fight against the young riders".
Although falling ill in the final week, Quintana rode a strong Tour de France, with specifically strong performances at the Col du Granon and Mur de Péguère which have impressed at this time of his career, and he rode to a sixth place into Paris. "We keep working and trying. Cycling isn’t just the Tour, and there are a lot of other races and we’ve been close," he said.
With wins at the Tour de la Provence and Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, alongside Top5 places at Paris-Nice and the Vuelta a Catalunya, the Colombian has shown to still race at a very high level, and is in great part responsible for the promotion that Arkéa Samsic is set to go through at the end of the season.
After the Tour the 32-year old has taken some time off the bike, and will be racing the Vuelta a Espana, which he won after similar preparation back in 2016. “It’s obvious there are young riders coming up and you have to respect that, but we are there to keep trying at least for the podium. And if you’re close, anything can happen," he said.
With a route filled with climbing, Quintana will once again feel at home, and with injuries behind him he seems ready to target the overall classification. “The objective is the GC once again. We have strong riders on the team to take on these three weeks. The team time trial isn’t our strong point, but we will try to limit the losses. The other time trial in the middle of the race isn’t that long and I think it can be OK for me," he said. "The mountain stages, especially the 10 summit finales, are very good for me".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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