Nairo Quintana makes a comeback with Movistar, the team where he achieved major triumphs and a lasting presence in Colombian cycling. He remains the number one rider in his homeland and has continued to lead the pack since Egan Bernal faced a serious accident and a season-long suspension. A recent allegation about a positive test during the 2022 Tour was revealed as a misinterpretation; the issue involved a pill that was not allowed to be taken at that time, affecting how his results were viewed.
Last winter, Quintana announced a highly publicized press conference on the terrace of a Bogotá bar-restaurant that he owns. Dozens of news outlets from Colombia covered the event, and thanks to the internet, voices from around the world weighed in on the discussion about his future. Some framed it as the potential farewell of a rider who won the Vuelta and the Giro and stood on the Paris podium three times, a figure in French cycling who was sometimes compared to Poulidor in the 21st century while Chris Froome dominated the era in Britain.
There was an official statement confirming that Quintana would be part of Movistar Team for 2024.
https://t.co/evwPQCjsQg pic.twitter.com/9hjHnWzFaG
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) 28 October 2023
Nevertheless, Quintana pressed on, seeking a new shelter and aiming to protect his market value as a rider. Unlike his compatriot Miguel Ángel López, who faced a suspension by the UCI in July and earned the nickname ‘Superman,’ Quintana chose not to sign with a Colombian squad that would limit his racing to the South American circuit. His objective was to continue competing in Europe while maintaining his international presence.
Education in Andorra
To focus on the season, Quintana relocated to Andorra, where he has lived since 2022. He is remembered for a family moment in March when he, his wife, and their children rode an elevator connecting the lower and upper parts of Andorra la Vella. Training with local professionals in the Pyrenean country was part of the routine during the Volta era. If anything set him apart on those days, it was the absence of commercial branding on his jersey.
Movistar’s manager Eusebio Unzué supported Quintana’s return, assuming there was a mutual agreement between both sides. In the previous season, sponsors across markets, including Spain, questioned whether bringing the Boyacá rider back at 33 would be a sound move, given the evolving dynamics of professional cycling. The discussion included considerations about recovering from pain and fatigue, with medication like tramadol sometimes playing a role in endurance sport.
Farewell to Vuelta 2022
Pain management became a talking point last year when the rules on certain analgesics shifted. If used during testing, a result could be displaced as if the rider had not finished in the top ranks. Quintana’s sixth-place finish in the last Tour was part of this broader discussion, while he did not secure a podium in the 2022 Tour de France.
In August, as preparations were underway for the Vuelta Utrecht, news about tramadol surfaced. Quintana was already in the Netherlands, assigned a bib for the Spanish tour, and action could not be easily changed. By mutual agreement, Arkéa and Quintana agreed on a path that allowed him to step back to Andorra with a portion of responsibilities fulfilled.
Refusal
Starting the year under sanctions and guided by a CAS decision, Quintana returned to Movistar with minimal financial friction. With Carlos Rodríguez’s signing not materializing, the team needed a second leader beyond Enric Mas to drive sporting and entertainment value. The Majorcan rider could not participate due to his physical needs. In 2023 Movistar faced the challenge of competing without a clear leader in races such as the Return and the Volta, especially after Mas’s crash on the Tour’s opening stage.
Quintana’s contributions to Movistar include winning the 2014 Giro d’Italia and the 2016 Vuelta a España, along with podium finishes in the 2013 and 2015 Tours and a third-place finish in the 2016 Volta a Catalunya. He also earned top-three finishes in Tirreno-Adriatico (2015, 2017), Itzulia (2013), and Romandía (2016).
Yet the relationship was never flawless. Quintana shared leadership dynamics with then-Movistar teammates Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa. He wore the Movistar jersey from 2012 to 2019 and spent 2023 without a race number, a situation that felt almost like an ongoing test. While 2024 could be challenging in some races, the team still expected him to provide leadership and help Enric Mas contend for top-10 finishes.
Nairo Quintana’s return to Movistar marks a new chapter for a rider who has shaped Colombian cycling for years and who continues to influence the sport across North America and Europe. This phase emphasizes resilience, strategic planning, and steady performance in the foreign circuits that define modern road racing, while fans in Canada and the United States watch closely for the next big results as the season unfolds. [citation provided by team and sport journalists]