Quintana's tramadol hearing set for next week as AG2R shut down transfer links

Team ArkeaSamsic Colombian rider Nairo Quintana rides the final kilometers of the 11th stage of the 109th edition of the Tour de France cycling race
Team ArkeaSamsic Colombian rider Nairo Quintana rides the final kilometers of the 11th stage of the 109th edition of the Tour de France cycling race (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Nairo Quintana could move to Astana Qazaqstan rather than a French WorldTour team after leaving Arkéa-Samsic, with the Colombian climber hoping the Court of Arbitration for Sport will clear him of any wrongdoing in a hearing on October 12, over his Tour de France positive for tramadol. 

At the weekend L’Equipe suggested that a French WorldTour team was interested in signing Quintana for 2023 and on Tuesday named AG2R Citroën as a possible option. However the French squad moved quickly to deny any interest in signing the Colombian or any contact with his agent. 

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.