Nairo Quintana leaves Arkéa-Samsic. The 32-year-old Colombian extended his contract with the French cycling team last month until mid-2025, but the collaboration is already coming to an end.
By our sports editorsIt is unclear what role Quintana’s disqualification from the Tour de France will play in his decision to leave. He signed the contract extension on August 16, after which it was announced a day later that he was removed from the result of the Tour. Quintana lost his sixth place in the general classification because he had used the banned painkiller tramadol.
It is striking that Arkéa-Samsic does not report anything about Quintana’s departure. The winner of the 2014 Giro d’Italia and the 2016 Vuelta a España has announced his retirement on Instagram.
“I want to thank Arkéa-Samsic for the past three years. We had ups and downs, but I was able to give all my experience to a great team. I was able to take points to take the team to the World Tour, whatever it is. purpose of my arrival was,” Quintana writes.
‘I did nothing wrong’
Due to his departure, Quintana’s season is also over. In the meantime, he has appealed his disqualification from the Tour to the CAS International Court of Sports Arbitration. “I am optimistic about the outcome, because I am honest. I have not done anything wrong,” writes the climber, who finished second in the Tour twice in his career.
Quintana is also determined to find a new crew and has no intention of stopping. “I keep racing and want to show what I’m capable of.”
There is one more World Tour race on the program this season: the Tour of Lombardy will be held next Sunday.
