🇨🇴🙌🏼 Viva Colombia, viva el @TourColombiaOfi Han sido dos semanas maravillosas. Gracias por todo vuestro cariño. Iván Sosa terminó entre los 10 primeros de la general, @fndogaviria se llevó una etapa… y el jefe @nairoquinco volvió, como hoy en Bogotá, a encontrarse con su…
"The great champions need to put pressure on themselves" - Despite illness, Nairo Quintana disappointed with lack of result at Tour Colombia
CyclingMonday, 12 February 2024 at 12:15
Nairo Quintana is an absolute superstar in Colombia, and was one of the riders in highlight this week at the Tour Colombia. Originally a favourite for the overall classification, 'Nairoman' was taken down by a flu which wrecked his chances of a successful comeback to the peloton.
“He had the flu, that’s what happened, nothing more. It’s nothing to worry about," team DS Pablo Lastras shared with Cyclingnews following the Colombian's demise at the brutal Alto del Vino. "He felt a bit blocked from being at his full shape but it’s nothing alarming, nothing worrying. Nairo puts a lot of pressure of himself racing here, but I think the great champions need to put pressure on themselves. They have to know how to manage it and Nairo knows how to do that, because he’s a winner.”
Quintana looked in fine form at the national championships the week beforehand, putting in fine performances both in the time-trial and road race. In the first stages of the week he looked to be in regular pace, but the 30-kilometer long Alto del Vino exposed his ongoing weakness. Quintana had been ill and was dropped early on, not contesting for the stage win or overall classification.
“The original plan was for Nairo to start at the Volta Valenciana, but then this race was confirmed late – at the end of November, I think – so we quickly changed his calendar. We had to have him here – for Nairo himself, for the country, for the brand, for the federation," Lastras added. "He’s sort of the ambassador of the country. So he had to be here, and he wanted to be here.”
In the results sheet however lays a relatively absent 19th spot, which will matter little. A return to competition however is important after a year without being in a World Tour peloton. Experience that will be valuable for the 34-year old, who is looking to build up towards the Giro d'Italia this spring. Quintana is expected to return to Europe soon, and race O Gran Camiño where he will be face to face with the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Cian Uijtdebroeks.
“It’s clear that a year without competition has cost him quite a bit, because cycling is all about changes of rhythm,” Luis Fernando Saldarriaga, previously a coach of the Colombian rider, added. “He has to get used to these changes of rhythm again, and that will take time.”
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- I counted 16 riders under 24 out of 43 that started. Once was only 16 ! Two of the top riders are Zoe and Schreiber and both under 23 yet that have done 50 min races in the past with the elites so I think it's just bad clock management. Let them race 50 freakin' minutes! One more lap could have made a big dffierence most times in the podium and winner.frieders319-11-2024
- He needs to finish out his contract and then go hit MTB and Cross/Gravel really hard, that's where his heart is.awp18-11-2024
- Pidcock is starting to sound like Froome now.Sweep18-11-2024
- I think this was because there were junior women in the race. If a race has junior women am pretty sure it has to be less than 45 minutes. I believe a rule is coming in for next season that will fine organisers that don't put on a junior women's race a fine equivalent to the prize money. So fingers crossed we should see more longer elite and junior women's races from next season.NorrisHippocampe18-11-2024
- Of course he CAN. Big salary in cycling is not when you win but when they talk about you (and your team / sponsors). For every news about Jonas, MVdP or Wout there are 10 times more(!) news about Pidcock (like everyday for last 2 months?). Since cycling is advertising sport not competitive sport (in terms of from money comes from) Pidcock is winner and GOAT - change my mind. ;-)averagecyclist18-11-2024
- Why do the women CXs keep getting short changed with the length of theor races? They could have easily done another lap to put them at 50 minutes which is their time limit. Yet another CX race where they fail to reach this when they had a chance to. Come on ... the math isn't that hard to figure out lap times and divide into 50 min!frieders318-11-2024
- All pro cyclists are massively underpaid! The amount of riding and physical exertion they put their bodies through is crazy compared to other sports. I can't think of any other sport where you are physically active at a very high level of power output for hours on end each day.Pogboom17-11-2024
- When I was working for Starkist/Heinz my manager quit. So the next week my group was put under another manager. During our first meeting he asked if there was anything we needed to tell him. I said that I would be out the following week on vacation. He said "I don't know if I can let you go on vacation". I replied, "You can't tell if I can go. You can only tell me if I can come back".Sweep17-11-2024
- :-)Sweep17-11-2024
- What a mess there :-)
DareDevil17-11-2024