The lure of the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia has proved too strong for the former winner and reigning Vuelta a España champion Nairo Quintana (Movistar) to ignore in 2017.
Quintana is the bookmaker’s pick for the win in this year’s Giro and you can see why. The Colombian says that Vincenzo Nibali is his main rival.
“He’s on home turf. I think he’s the greatest rival I have in this Giro,” said Quintana.
“The idea is to go for the Giro title – for both titles. I don’t know if it’s going to come off or not, but we’ll try. More than going there desperate to win the Giro, I’m going with the excitement of being able to participate in the 100th edition as a past winner of the race,” he said.
“I’m continuing to hone my time trialling and it’s still getting better as far as it’s possible. Also the mountains, but with a lot of care – I have to arrive in good shape at both the two races.
“We now have a bit of experience and we have our reference points in terms of three-week races.
Quintana will ride the Vuelta a Asturias as his last race before the Giro, which begins on May 5.
