Nairo Quintana has to adjust his goals for the Tour de France as the Colombian is still experiencing the consequences of his crash last year.
“I am not able to ride a general classification in this Tour,” he told Colombian media. “It’s a very different year for me because of that, especially because of those health problems. I’m still dragging that crash. The team has therefore decided to bring another leader in Nacer Bouhanni,” he explained.
“My goal will therefore be to fight for stage wins. I will give it my all, to bring joy to the team and Colombia,” said Quintana. “There are several chances, even if not all of them finish uphill. But those are important steps. We try to be in the break a lot and pick the right stages. We will fight for a win.”
What is striking in the Tour team of Arkéa-Samsic is that Quintana is the only Colombian. His brother Dayer and Winner Anacona are missing.
“That’s because it’s a different Tour de France for us, we’re not going for the general classification. That is why the team has drawn up different types of riders. It’s an uncomfortable situation for me, because I’m used to going for a classification,” said 31-year-old.
This spring, the Colombian climber was unable to break even in the WorldTour. Although he won the Vuelta Asturias, he did not make a top-10 in Tirreno-Adriatico (12th), the Volta a Catalunya (14th) and the Critérium du Dauphiné (18th).
