In his final season as a professional racer, Nairo Quintana turned back the clock to win his first race in four years at the Vuelta Asturias on Friday.
The Colombian soloed to victory on stage 2 of the four-day stage race, a challenging mid-mountain stage over four categorised climbs to Pola de Lena, Spain.
The win was the 52nd of Quintana's career, dating back to the opening stage of the Vuelta a Murcia in 2012 and encompassing overall titles at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España.
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It was also his first triumph since his overall win at the 2022 Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, when he converted a final-day solo attack into glory, beating Tim Wellens to the top spot.
Quintana pointed to the sky as he crossed the line in tribute to Colombian rider Cristian Camilo Muñoz, who died on Friday morning after suffering a knee infection following a crash last weekend.
"It's truly sad. This morning, when we heard the news, I was left speechless. A young man who had so much, so much life ahead of him, so much to give to sport and to the country, and it's truly sad and tragic," Quintana said of Muñoz.
"My condolences to the family, to the cycling world, to Colombian cycling, to his team and the sponsor. We deeply regret the situation, and it fills us with great sadness."
In further comments reported by Marca, Quintana dedicated the victory to Muñoz, saying: "This victory is very special, and I want to dedicate it with all my heart to the memory of our beloved compatriot Camilo Muñoz. His tragic loss is an immense sorrow for the entire Colombian and world cycling community."
The Vuelta Asturias paid tribute with a moment of silence before the stage, and Muñoz's Nu Colombia team withdrew en masse to mourn their teammate.
Despite the sadness, Quintana could still find joy in his first victory in almost half a decade.
"It really has been incredible. It's been many years since I last won. This year, I've also announced the end of my sporting career, but I've always stayed motivated by training and preparing myself, so to be able to win today is a huge joy.
"It's been a phenomenal stage. A very good job by the young team, but also learning a lot and being with the young riders fills me with youthful motivation, and today is a day to show that."
Quintana, who turned 36 in February, hit the front of the race along with 19-year-old UAE Team Emirates-XRG neo-pro Adrià Pericas on the toughest climb of the day, the Alto de la Colladella (7km at 7.8%), 38km from the finish.
He and Pericas were caught by a trio of chasers – including Movistar teammate Diego Pescador – on the descent, before the pair went clear on the penultimate climb of the Alto Cueña.
Come the final climb of the day, the sharp inclines of the Alto do Carabanzo (2.2km at 9.1%), just 6.5km from the line, it was Quintana who proved the strongest of the leading duo. He left Pericas behind 7km from the finish and soloed to the line, finishing 26 seconds up on Pericas.
"Adriá is a very, very strong young rider with a bright future ahead of him," Quintana said. "I know the years are passing and the younger generation is coming through, but I had to draw on my experience, and the hours just flew by."
Quintana now holds the overall lead with two challenging days of racing left to run on the road to Oviedo. He enjoys a lead of 31 seconds over Pericas, while Pescador lies in third place at 1:21 down.
