Teams & Riders Nairo Quintana discussion thread

[Ryo Hazuki]

I already forgot but quintana beat froome hard on catalunya this year, so wonder what galic ho is smoking

 

[Escarabajo]

I am still confused about the allergy deal. I have never suffered from them so I wouldn't know.

I thought rain help with the allergies just like Quintana has said. I have read it several times in here as well. That was one of the reasons why we believed in the past that Quintana has dominated in some races during the spring where there has been rain. Such as Pais Vasco 2013. There is also Tirreno-Adriatico 2015. So maybe someone can explain to me why the rain is an issue with making the allergies worse???

Thanks.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

I already forgot but quintana beat froome hard on catalunya this year, so wonder what galic ho is smoking

Froome wannst at the same shape than Contador and Quintana- quintana droped Contador. Now he is not at that level, but even with problem to contonue in le Tour he is third.. that shows how good he is.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

I already forgot but quintana beat froome hard on catalunya this year, so wonder what galic ho is smoking

Numerous riders have beaten Froome during the spring!

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

PR *******t, shameless cheating, ridiculous attitude.
And some of you dare call him the next big thing.
Pathetic showing.

the guy is obviously sick. my god get a hold of yourself

Yes, something is wrong with him, he doesnt have the same level he had in Andorra. I thought he was paying the wind, but it is something more after hearing him yesterday, A pity, maybe mononucleosis. He said some kind of allergie just as a posibility to explain becouse he is not tired but his legs doenst work..but after the rain it is obvious it is not allergie.

it ha a big merit to be where he was yesterday in that situation.. his face was really bad all the day.

But Quintana wanted to lesft the Giro the day he won the race, Stelvio... and Izaguirre encouraged him to go on.. and now he has the possibility to win le Tour if Froome is bad today thinking to left yesterday...it i at leat amazing, but things happend that way sometimes...

 

[Galic Ho]

Re: Re:

but the guy has to attack to drop Bardet or is he hoping that Bardet will crack by himself and he can safely suck wheels to 2nd place.

I hate to say this but Bardet will most likely concede seconds to Quintana to lose second.

I wish Quintana attacked tomorrow and earn the second place. Wishful thinking.

Having said that finishing second at the Tour with the poor form that he had is a testament to the low quality of contenders to Froome today other than Quintana and Contador. This proves that ATM Froome can only be challenged by Quintana. Movistar and Quintana need to reorganize and prepare much better.

This post lacks complete and sound reasoning!

1- Quintana has proven, he had no capacity this year to challenge Froome.

2-At what point has Movistar actually forced an effort to dislodge Froome and Sky? When has such an effort worked?

I won't hold my breath and I am a Movistar and Valverde fan!!

3- It's called being a fanboy. Columbian right?

Back the humble, honest and decent Columbian, not the over hyped rider. Chaves could use some support. Oh and he smiles...he's a happy person. Quintana looks miserable 99% of the time.

By all means cheer for the man, but don't delude everyone here. Quite a few riders from Movistar were absent from the Tour list. It's almost like they knew Quintana wouldn't have it this year...

I hope you remember Froome's first attack in this race and stage win! Nairo Quintana, is in third. He has not won anything this race, but lost, more than any other rider. The others are proving to themselves that if they have form and attack, they can do something. Low quality rivals? Quintana's rivals have made moves though and not thrown their hands up when Valverde wasn't there to chase Froome down for him!!

Take the blinkers off and see it for what it is...it's entitlement, the overwhelming sense that one deserves something simply because they've been anointed by other parties as the heir apparent.

Andy Schleck use to be abused on this forum. At least he attacked, often not beating Contador, but he still beat the rest. Quintana cannot even do that right now. And I have to watch Valverde pull his butt around France...it's insulting to racing fans. Best climber in the world - not by a long shot. Never has been, nor will be, unless some coming back to a grounded and balanced centre occurs. Being honest that he doesn't have it would be a nice step towards rectifying his attitude and issues...

4- Sky are quivering with fear at that proposal!!

Did you read what I wrote?
But you wouldn't understand...Best rival ATM!!

Your answers are different to what I said TBH.

Your points #1, #2 are right. It doesn't negate what I said.

#3. Yes I am Colombian fan. Not boy. And very proud. What is your problem. Have some respect please. Thanks.

#4. If he is 3rd or 2nd with this form it only proves that he is the best rival fro Froome when in form!!!! Not now. I thought it was obvious. Get a grip.

I'll apologise for the Colombian remark.

But for someone absent from this forum for 3 years to remember you and Ryo have a penchant for talking up Colombians, doesn't that tell you something?

To me it does. It's like Aussiecyclefan94 carrying on about Aussies...it gets too much.

Real simple thing here is that Quintana, no matter what anyone says, has been below his best.

Why? I gave a reason. Results in the big goal matter Ryo, not Rout de Soud, or Romandie. Pinot came second there and where is his Tour? Down the drain.

I actually thought Quintana and Contador would be first and second. Both didn't even come close.

But Sky have executed a precise and strong racing curriculum.

And Ryo, stop the excuses and address the matter of where Quintana lost the mental fortitude to actually ATTACK.

Was it Ventoux? Because I look back, and now after 3 weeks Quintana has been a very annoying rider to watch. He should have attacked somewhere. Ventoux was it. The rest has been following wheels. That's a disappointment and for someone of his calibre, I will state he does not deserve a podium place. He has ONE stage left to rectify that.

For the sake of good racing, an attacking rider deserves time. Everyone in the top 10 has done that...except Quintana, the one rider everyone EXPECTED, based on his stellar palmares, to do that.

And the whole routine of 'I am not trying to manage risk vs reward and not go' just does not cut it. Porte could clearly have profited from sitting on and going at the top yesterday. He attacked and I was very critical of Porte and BMC 2 weeks ago...read the Porte and Tejay threads. He could and honestly should have waited...sucked wheels so to speak. Porte did the thing many had been accusing him of not doing...HE ATTACKED!

It's just when is Nairo Quintana going to do that? Froome won this mentally ages back. Who knows when, but they've had Quintana's number for some time now in this race. And yes, racing the Dauphine against Froome would have helped. Every rider there who made the top 5, every single one of them has attacked this Tour...Dan Martin is in 10th right? He attacked last night. What's his reason?

It's mentality. He prefers to ride like that. Which is funny, I use to laugh at Martin all the time on Garmin. Not anymore!

And that's my point. If Quintana rides like this more often, he'll be laughed at. Sure you guys will cheer for him...you've been doing it before anyone else.

Seems this is the land of fairies.

Well, to you fans who liked his wins at races that acted as training...what happened after Romandie? Froome went up, Quintana went down.

He went home right...to Colombia. What happened?

How can anyone here state finishing in third in this manner is good? It shows a complete disregard for even trying to win. Holding onto everyone to hopefully not lose more time...that's never been how Quintana rides. And the evidence is right here THIS RACE. Stop deflecting from the remainder of his season.

Froome, Wiggins and Evans all had dominant seasons when they won their first Tours (yes I know only Froome has won more than once). Best season ever? An improved chrono has been produced. But when it mattered, at the Tour, he was equal to Porte which was IMO good, but down on the mountain ITT. How did his Giro 2014 ITT in the mountains go? He put a minute into Aru.

His performance outside the Tour may have looked better, but it clearly has not equated and developed Quintana mentally and physically into a rider who can beat Chris Froome. I'll say it again, kindly, because a lack of a rival for FRoome has made this last week less than dynamic, but Nairo Quintana's Tour capacity has DROPPED relative to last year and 2014 and 2013.

On that basis, granted he doesn't somehow find amazing form today, his season is good...but not as good as last year. He's lucky Froome didn't smack him really hard so as to dominate him. But that's not in his nature anymore.

Porte had his best season ever last year and a bad Giro scrapped that from memory! Why shouldn't the same standard apply to Quintana?...oh, you're all fans. So it doesn't count.

Sorry, but it does when you're honest and not prone to favouritism.

And to Gigs_98...really simple. A lack of hard racing kilometres in the build up month to the Tour, has clearly left Quintana lacking. That's what he looks like. Getting form maybe now. But his top level from last year...he's not even close to that. Evidence? Valverde can keep up with him...and he rode the Giro!!

Aru was down in the Dauphine. He's lifted quite a bit relative to his rivals. His Tour start was also poor. But he's picked up. If you cannot see Quintana being dragged up Ventoux at the back of the top 12 GC riders, losing time to Bardet, Porte and of course Froome, in almost every mountain stage is not normal, and most likely a result of being under prepared, then the issue is with you.

If he were sick, he'd be going backwards for minutes. He's not. He's sucking wheels.

Dealing with fans of riders is funny...they never see their rider rationally. Ever. Always a deflection. Oh but he was good at this race...that's deflection and shifting context. This Tour, Movistar did something wrong...I gave a reason. No it was not nice to hear...but its honest and has a basis.

I can't wait for the post Tour reasoning on Quintana's health given...

And whilst I am here, if I can state Tejay should pull for Porte, Quintana can at least do a pull for Valverde. Oh right, he's ahead on GC and needs his helper...my bad.

 

[Red Rick]

What are they gonna do after the Tour? Try and figure out what went wrong/diagnostics? Or are they just gonna let him prepare for Olympics/Vuelta. Cause right now the latter doesn't seem like great idea

 

[Galic Ho]

Really simple task for the Quintana fans.

When Andy Schleck was Contador's biggest rival, what did you say about him?

Was it 'Abandony' and name calling? Were you hyper critical of his race preparation and complete lack or results?

Because face it, every Tour, he turned up and performed, until that team trial crash in the 2012 Dauphine. Every year.

No results from him Ryo, other than being at the Tour in best form. He was close every single time.

So he delivered.

Has Quintana? Do you honestly expect an intelligent person to believe Nairo Quintana and Movistar aimed to win all these other races for CQ ranking points and NOT arrive at the Tour in a position where he was physically strong enough to challenge Froome every day in the mountains?

Because that was the goal! If it wasn't, then they've been lying! Romandie and Catalunya...hmmmnnn, Porte won more last season at that stage and had more CQ ranking points. I didn't talk him up. Why then is Quintana immune from anything resembling criticism? Is he incapable of handling a few comments and questions raised in English? Do Spanish speakers give him a free ride and never address a misfiring?

Granted this appears as a rider who has been over hyped and talked, then on that basis, they've UNDERPERFORMED and not delivered. So critical analysis is needed to discover WHY that did not happen. And no, he's not sick. A sick rider doesn't sit 2 racing days away from the end of a grand tour in third overall. They do what Tejay van Garderen does on the stage after the second rest day.

Goals have to be realistic, relevant and planned. Movistar's planning has come unstuck. It's that simple. And it makes Quintana look like a joke next to Froome. Granted many dislike Froome, I bet that his hands down demolition of his biggest rival gets to many here...doesn't bother me at all! He's actually enjoyable to watch because he doesn't make excuses...and he attacked!

How do you think he'll handle next year knowing his performance dropped relative to Froome? Well or poorly? He might need to sort his head out. And there in lies the benefit of attacking. You know you tried and are not averse to going full throttle the next time should your level actually be superior. All this wheel sucking has created, is a precedent within a riders mind where if he's limited, he won't attack because of what? FEAR.

Yep, let's applaud that...well done!

And I gave an alternative way to handle this lack of attacking. Be like Chaves...admit you gave it all. Drop the excuses and be humble. For a second or two. It's not hard.

But I sense Ryo, you'd never cheer for someone like Chaves the way you do for Quintana. But that's a deeper internal issue I won't touch.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

hah you are so full of text I won't bother to read it. you are twisting every argument like quintana never beat froome this year and then when your lies get exposed you come off saying that catalunya (wt) not an important race. then tell me in which important race quintana was supposed to beat froome until the tour?

and how would you know I cheer quintana more than chaves?

 

[Galic Ho]

Re:

I already forgot but quintana beat froome hard on catalunya this year, so wonder what galic ho is smoking

Reality.

It must be hard watching your boy fail at his biggest goal whilst Froome whoops him.

It must also be hard living in the Netherlands and watching a real attacking rider lose time...I sympathise with the Dutch for Kruisjwijk and Mollema. They earned their podium positions in GC's and had misfortune stop them.

But Quintana has not had that...he's simply not got it. But you hold onto beating Pinot in Romandie. I know what people will remember; the GC win at the Tour. Or riding hard for second or third.

Sucking wheels for third. That's almost as good as Levi Leipheimer's third in 2007 or his second in the Giro in 2008.

Everyone raves about those rides!

 

[Galic Ho]

hah you are so full of text I won't bother to read it. you are twisting every argument like quintana never beat froome this year and then when your lies get exposed you come off saying that catalunya (wt) not an important race. then tell me in which important race quintana was supposed to beat froome until the tour?

and how would you know I cheer quintana more than chaves?

I don't.

But the nature of who you cheer for is deeper. Call is psychological, spiritual, but you flock to someone like you to cheer for.

Then there is Chaves who was so impressive in his demeanor as a person. I wondered where he'd been hiding when he got in front of Aussie cameras for the first time at the Giro. Quintana and granted, every other rider look less than he does...it's personality and humility.

Put it this way. Contador had harsh words years ago to say to Quintana. Harsh words...Valverde had to step in and protect him.

Not reading my words? Because Quintana beat Froome at another race!! Okay...that's still called deflection. Do try and keep up here.

So Quintana beat Froome else where! Good for him. Bad form though that he peaked at the wrong time...maybe he should use his intelligence and get his timing right. Oh snap. Timing is not something men can control...is it?

Go and study measurement, the human body and then we can discuss what Movistar have done wrong. Also how to arrange one's thinking and behaviour. Quintana has a LOT to work on.

Talented? Sure. You don't win races against top riders if you're not talented. But he's never won the Tour and he's been spoken of for 2 years in a row as though he had it in the bag...something needs to change. For crying out loud, Christian Prudhomme, gift wrapped him the parcours this year and this is the result!

So far, he's been the 4th best climber this Tour. Maybe the 5th. And that's his SUPER POWER.

Which is exactly why he's been sucking wheels. His power, has been neutralised.

And that's clearly a waste of a Tour for the man lauded as "World's best climber."

 

[Valv.Piti]

Galic Ho, nobody bothers to read your romans, can't you take them somewhere else?

 

[Volderke]

a whole lot of text here

Can you please make your point in 1-2 lines? Some people haven't followed the fast reading course :redface:

 

[Taxus4a]

We dont knows what is wrong with Quintana, but he has something that dont allow to show his best performance since Pyrinees.

I remerber a rider who was long time compiting with mononucleosis, and he was at a good level, but not his best level.

To say that if Quintana cant do his best for some problem (not necesary the word sick) he cant follow Porte or aru wheels in the last week of le Tour in the hight mountains, where he is clearly the best of the world has no sense. He is just limitated and suffering a lot.But he is close to his level.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

What are they gonna do after the Tour? Try and figure out what went wrong/diagnostics? Or are they just gonna let him prepare for Olympics/Vuelta. Cause right now the latter doesn't seem like great idea

It depends what he has.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I would prefer him to skip Olympics, try to get right and gun for La Vuelta.

 

[Taxus4a]

If he has nothing, it could be a mental problem, but his fade last days showed something more...and his team mate Ventoso is saying that on TV now, that he was surprised of the fade of Quintana, becouse it usually shows nothing on his fade.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

Galic Ho, nobody bothers to read your romans, can't you take them somewhere else?

Tbf, Galic Ho is making some decent objective points

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Galic Ho, nobody bothers to read your romans, can't you take them somewhere else?

Tbf, Galic Ho is making some decent objective points

Like Quintana needs to race more and beat Froome despite a) He has raced more than Froome and b) he beat him in Catalunya and Romandie.

I also highly doubt that many posters will read every one of those long posts

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Re: Re:

Galic Ho, nobody bothers to read your romans, can't you take them somewhere else?

Tbf, Galic Ho is making some decent objective points

maybe in your head...

 

[Flamin]

Re: Re:

His form was so bad today he made sure to follow every single acceleration by Porte.

Admit it, you were grinning while typing this post, weren't you? (after being too harsh on him the first week)

I don't think I was too harsh. Seems he felt better in the Pyrenees but let them go to waste, and now he's not very confident even about snagging 2nd place. It vindicates my argument, really.

If anything, the next days suggested he was simply on the limit there.

 

[Red Rick]

Either he's got medical issues, or he messed up his preparation big time. It's up to him and his team to figure out or to know what happened.

I think that in the Pyrenees he was still hoping to improve in the third week and be able to race for the win. If he had more, it wasn't much. Instead he got worse and likely missed out on his bets opportunity to get 2nd.

 

[Escarabajo]

Galic Ho,
I take your apology, but I think you are confusing me with somebody else.

 

[sir fly]

Didn't bother to attack Bardet today.
A lower spot is a lower spot.

 

[bigcog]

Nice interview