Nairo Quintana will be the absolute leader of the Arkéa-Samsic team at the Tour de France.
The Colombian abandoned the Criterium du Dauphine last week with knee problems and will start with some doubts.
Quintana will be accompanied by two fellow countrymen, his brother Dayer and Winner Anacona. There will also be Warren Barguil, and the Italian Diego Rosa, who should be able to assist Quintana in the mountains. Maxime Bouet, Clément Russo and Connor Swift complete the selection.
Last year Arkéa-Samsic managed to take 10th place in the general classification of the Tour with Warren Barguil. The best stage result for the team was a sixth place for the now departed André Greipel in the final stage in Paris.
“He [Nairo Quintana] has just completed a training camp at altitude at Isola 2000, where he was able to increase the kilometres without any irritation to the knee, which had been injured last July. He will present himself in excellent condition and with desire at the start in Nice next Saturday, just like Warren Barguil”, Arkéa-Samsic general manager Emmanuel Hubert said.
Quintana has two Grand Tour victories to his name the 2014 Giro d’Italia and the 2016 Vuelta a España, but the Tour de France has always eluded him.
