The flu meant Nairo Quintana was unable to compete in the Tour de Colombia, resulting in a disappointing result. Players from the Movistar team did not have any selections in the general classification.Team members talked about his condition
“He had the flu, that’s it, that’s all. There’s nothing to worry about,” Pablo Lastras told Cycling News after the Colombian’s fall at Alto Delvino. “He felt a bit hampered by not being at his best but that’s not a worry and there’s no need to worry. Nairo puts a lot of pressure on himself playing here but I think great champions need to put that on themselves Pressure. They have to know how to manage it and Nairo knows how to do that because he is a winner.”
Quintana was in top form at last week’s national championships, performing well in both the time trial and the road race. His pace seemed normal at the start of the week, but Alto Delvino’s 30km exposed his weaknesses. Quintana was ruled out at the start due to illness, so he was not in contention for stage wins or the overall ranking.
“The original plan was for Nairo to play in the Volta Valenciana, but that fight was confirmed very late, I think at the end of November, so we quickly changed his schedule. We had to have him here, for Nairo For myself, for the country, for the brand, for the federation,” added Lastras. “He’s kind of like an ambassador for this country. So he has to be here, and he wants to be here.”
However, it does not matter that the relatively absent No. 19 appears on the results sheet. However, it’s important to get back into racing after a year without being in the main World Tour lineup. The experience will be valuable for the 34-year-old rider who wants to prepare for this spring’s Giro d’Italia. Quintana is expected to return to Europe soon and compete in the O Gran Camiño event, where he will face the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Cian Uijtdebroeks .
“Obviously a year without racing has taken a big toll on him because cycling is all about a change of pace,” added Luis Fernando Saldariaga, the Colombian rider’s former coach. “He has to adapt to these changes of pace again and that takes time.”
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