Nairo Quintana (Movistar) has revealed that he will ride the Tour de France in 2019, though the remainder of his programme and the make-up of the Movistar team that will accompany him is still to be decided. The Colombian has endured a disappointing 2018 season, placing eighth overall at the Vuelta a España and 10th at the Tour, where he claimed stage victory atop the Col du Portet but his already faint podium hopes were furthered tempered by a crash the following day. `I´ll certainly be at the Tour de France [in 2019],` Quintana told Marca after completing the Vuelta on Sunday. `We´ll have to see how and with whom, that will be decided at the end of the season.`ADVERTISEMENT In 2018, Movistar deployed all three of its Grand Tour leaders at the Tour, with Quintana joined in the line-up by Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa. The trio of galacticos failed to make a telling impact in the face of Team Sky´s dominance, however, with Landa placing seventh in Paris and Valverde taking 14th overall. Movistar´s best result in a Grand Tour in 2018 was ultimately provided by Richard Carapaz at the Giro d´Italia. The Ecuadorian underlined his potential by placing fourth overall in Rome and winning a stage at Montevergine di Mercogliano. In an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero this weekend, Valverde said that would skip the Tour and instead ride the Giro and Vuelta in 2019. He placed third overall on his lone Giro appearance in 2017. Landa, absent from the Vuelta due to injury, confirmed last week that he will remain at Movistar in 2019 despite interest from Astana.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
|