The director of the Vuelta a España, Javier Guillen, has addressed the issue of Nairo Quintana's positive tests for Tramadol, noting that he is free to start the race on Friday and that it's up to the rider and his Arkéa-Samsic team to decide how they tackle the predicament.
The UCI announced on Wednesday that Quintana been disqualified from the Tour de France and stripped of his sixth-place result because he returned two positive tests for Tramadol during the race.
The opioid painkiller is banned under UCI rules introduced in 2019 but is not on the World Anti Doping Agency banned list and positive tests are not technically considered anti-doping rule violations, with no suspension for a first offence.
Quintana, winner of the 2016 Vuelta, has been named on the start list for the 2022 edition but Wednesday's news casts doubt on his participation, with rumours circulating that he will not take part.
"Quintana can start the race, according to the rules," Guillen told the Spanish news agency EFE late on Wednesday afternoon. "But we will respect what the team decides when they talk to the rider.
"The rider and the team will decide what they are going to do."
After three hours of silence, Arkéa-Samsic issued a statement on the matter on Wednesday afternoon, which effectively amounted to a 'no-comment'.
"Team Arkéa-Samsic has taken note of the notification from the UCI received by Nairo Quintana informing him of the presence of Tramadol in two dried blood samples collected during the last Tour de France," read the statement.
"The UCI Medical Regulations provide for a ban on the use of Tramadol in competition for medical reasons from 1 March 2019. Furthermore, this breach of the UCI Medical Regulations does not result in a suspension for the rider.
"The Arkéa-Samsic team will make no further comment."
Guillen recognised that the news was "not good" for the Vuelta a España, particularly given Quintana’s prominence as a racer.
"But those are the tests and those are the rules," he said. "He has been excluded from the Tour but can ride the Vuelta."
Cyclingnews understands that Quintana underwent the pre-race COVID testing on Wednesday afternoon at race headquarters along with the remainder of his teammates. But as yet there has been no confirmation if he will race or not.
The Vuelta gets underway on Friday evening with a team time trial in Utrecht, Holland.
