Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Chris Froome (Sky) and Peter Sagan (Cannondale) stand victorious on the podium in Paris(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nairo Quintana (Movistar) took a much deserved polka dot jersey(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Nairo Quintana (Movistar) has revealed that he will ride the Tour of Britain (September 15-22) as his final preparation for the world championships in Tuscany.
The Colombian climber also confirmed that he will stay with Movistar, despite interest from Astana and admitting that his life has changed since his success at the Tour de France.
Quintana was the revelation of the Tour, finishing second overall behind Chris Froome (Team Sky) and winning the best young rider's white jersey and the climber's polka-dot jersey. All in his first ever Tour de France.
He is currently riding the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain after being feted for his success at several post-Tour criteriums. He will head to Colombia on Sunday for a few weeks training on home roads. Quintana will face 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) at the Tour of Britain.
"I've rested up a bit (after the Tour) and I feel good. I'll head home after this race. I want to spend some time with family even if I won’t have a lot of time because I've got to prepare for the world championships," he told the Biciciclismo website.
Quintana knows the hilly Florence circuit at the world championships suits aggressive climbers and seems perfect for the new generation of Colombia riders that also includes Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao.
Colombia is ranked second in the UCI WorldTour thanks to their success this season but under new UCI rules decided in January, does not qualify to field a team of nine riders because there are not six Colombian riders in the WorldTour rankings. Under the new rules, six Colombia riders can start the Elite men's road race.
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"If we had nine riders, we'd have a great chance, we'd be able to compete like never before. If there are just four riders, we’ll still try and do well and win a medal for Colombia," Quintana said patriotically.
Staying at Movistar
Quintana confirmed that he will stay with the Movistar team for the long-term future, as his agent told Cyclingnews. He has two years to run on his current contract and hopes to stay even longer.
"I'm going to stay with Movistar. I've got two more years on my contract and I hope to stay even longer," he said.
"I've always liked the team. I've got some teammates that are good friends and help me win. The directeurs, mechanics and soigneurs are all good people, making it a good team."
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
