Colombian takes aggressive approach to final stages
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Nairo Quintana looks back at Chris Froome near the finish of stage 17.
Nairo Quintana attacks Chris Froome during stage 17.
Nairo Quintana finishes stage 17 ahead of Chris Froome.
Nairo Quintana in action during stage 17.
Movistar riders Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Despite not being able to shake Chris Froome with several attacks on the penultimate and final climbs of the day, Nairo Quintana believes that he and his Movistar teammates finally cracked the seemingly unbreakable Team Sky. Froome became isolated for a rare occasion during this year’s Tour when Wout Poels and Geraint Thomas were both distanced on the ascent of the Col d’Allos, giving Quintana confidence in the stages to come.
“Today I was almost 100 per cent. We have not got to Froome but we have weakened Sky and now come the more serious stages, which favour me, with longer climbs and tougher finishes where we can try to scratch back some time,” Quintana told the press after the stage. “Tomorrow’s stage will be very complicated and the finish in La Toussuire is a course that suits me, it is all day up and down, with major climbs that are very hard and very long. Alpe d’Huez is a fairly long climb and the slope suits my abilities. There is terrain to bring the battle.”
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Born in Ireland to a cycling family and later moved to the Isle of Man, so there was no surprise when I got into the sport. Studied sports journalism at university before going on to do a Masters in sports broadcast. After university I spent three months interning at Eurosport, where I covered the Tour de France. In 2012 I started at Procycling Magazine, before becoming the deputy editor of Procycling Week. I then joined Cyclingnews, in December 2013.
