Nairo Quintana indulged in a spot of soul-searching as he absorbed the disappointments of the final mountain stage of the Vuelta a España. `Sometimes you´re smiling, sometimes you´re sad,` said the Colombian on the Coll de la Gallina. This, he conceded, was `a sad day`. It wasn´t long ago that the main talking point of the Vuelta was the potential internal leadership tussle at Movistar, but after Quintana´s woes on Monte Oiz on Wednesday left Alejandro Valverde as top dog, the Spaniard was not only unable to usurp Simon Yates but plummeted off the podium on a bruising Saturday in Andorra. For Movistar, despite Valverde´s two stage wins, it was a sorry end to the Vuelta, with Quintana also falling to eighth overall after dropping to help Valverde on the final climb.ADVERTISEMENT For Quintana personally, his status is at risk of waning. A precocious talent who was considered a shoo-in to become the first Colombian Tour de France winner when he burst onto the scene five or so years ago, he has faltered in the last couple of years. He won the Giro d´Italia in 2014 and the Vuelta a España in 2016, finishing on the podium of the Tour in both years, but he hasn´t managed to hit those heights since. Last year he was runner-up at the Giro but outside the top 10 at the Tour, while this year he made the Tour his number one priority but could only manage 10th - with a stage win - before coming to the Vuelta. `It´s not only victories that make you great,` Quintana insisted beyond the finish line on the Coll de la Gallina on Saturday afternoon.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
|
