Teams & Riders Nairo Quintana discussion thread

[Koronin]

Still wondering why the hell did he pick Arkeas. Cant believe no WT team desired him.

The only two WT teams there were rumors that may be interested in him were CCC and UAE. UAE never made any sense as they have Pogacar. I don't remember any other rumors of other WT teams being interested in him. Several already had their GC rider and a few like DQS and Lotto Saudal aren't GC teams. Then you have Arkea giving him everything he was wanting. Also appears that somewhere they thought they'd get a WT license or having him they'd get invites to all the races forgetting to understand the Giro and Vuelta favor their home Pro Conti teams over all the other teams.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Eh. Arkea Samsic only really cares about domestic races. Dauphine and Tour didn't go as planned. The year started out nicely. Then came the pandemic, the accident and the crash in the Tour. Neither Nairo nor the team could have planned or corrected that.

 

[Gigs_98]

It's indeed bad for him that the Tour is the only gt he can ride but realistically, his gt level these last few years has not been good enough to warrant a WT team building their gt lineup entirely around him. In that sense Arkea offers him something no other team is willing to offer him.

 

[YavorD]

It's indeed bad for him that the Tour is the only gt he can ride but realistically, his gt level these last few years has not been good enough to warrant a WT team building their gt lineup entirely around him. In that sense Arkea offers him something no other team is willing to offer him.

Never really liked Quintana but I feel a bit sorry for him.
I mean he podiumed a GT for 5 years in a row, then in 2018-19 he had a ''weak'' seasons in which he had 3 GT stages and solid showings in few other stages (mainly vuelta 18-19 first half).
It's not like some GT teams are not building a GT team around riders with worse results/level for Quintana.
In fact Lopez' last 2 years are a bit similar to Quintana's 2018 and 2019. Interesting where he ends up.

 

[yaco]

I suspect that in next year's tour Arkea will split their team between Quintana and Bouhanni, assuming the latter continues his decent form from 2020 into 2021.

 

[Escarabajo]

Never really liked Quintana but I feel a bit sorry for him.
I mean he podiumed a GT for 5 years in a row, then in 2018-19 he had a ''weak'' seasons in which he had 3 GT stages and solid showings in few other stages (mainly vuelta 18-19 first half).
It's not like some GT teams are not building a GT team around riders with worse results/level for Quintana.
In fact Lopez' last 2 years are a bit similar to Quintana's 2018 and 2019. Interesting where he ends up.

I agree with this.
Additionally, Arkea does not offer what he needs. Because at this moment he has better chances riding the Vuelta and the Giro. I guess is his own fault.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Wouldn't it be possible for Arkea to get Giro invite if they promise to come with Quintana, Quintana, Anacona, Rosa etc?

 

[lenric]

Wouldn't it be possible for Arkea to get Giro invite if they promise to come with Quintana, Quintana, Anacona, Rosa etc?

I don't think Giro organizers would place having Quintana on a french team higher than having one more italian team.

 

[Bolder]

Never really liked Quintana but I feel a bit sorry for him.
I mean he podiumed a GT for 5 years in a row, then in 2018-19 he had a ''weak'' seasons in which he had 3 GT stages and solid showings in few other stages (mainly vuelta 18-19 first half).
It's not like some GT teams are not building a GT team around riders with worse results/level for Quintana.
In fact Lopez' last 2 years are a bit similar to Quintana's 2018 and 2019. Interesting where he ends up.

Agree to an extent, but teams are like stock investors. They invest in future returns, in general. I think no one really sees Quintana as a future GT winner, while someone like MAL is seen as having his best ahead of him. That may not be true or fair but it's the mindset.

I think going to Arkea would have been seen as a good move if he had podiumed the Tour or even a close top 5. Now it's not looking like a great idea...

 

[tobydawq]

I don't think Giro organizers would place having Quintana on a french team higher than having one more italian team.

Really? What good does it really do to have Bardiani riding around in the race?

 

[SHAD0W93]

I don't think Giro organizers would place having Quintana on a french team higher than having one more italian team.

Former winner though.....

 

[lenric]

Really? What good does it really do to have Bardiani riding around in the race?

It's an italian team with an italian sponsor on the major italian race.
Quintana's ranking isn't what it used to be, so there's also that.

 

[carolina]

Don't they get automatic invitation to all WT races if they finish the season with the most points from all the PCT teams?

They are not that far from Alpecin-Fenix. Maybe they were thinking they could pull it off that way, but Quintana's injuries were bad luck. The rest of the team should be able to do more, either way.

 

[lenric]

Former winner though.....

2014.

 

[Oldermanish]

I agree with this.
Additionally, Arkea does not offer what he needs. Because at this moment he has better chances riding the Vuelta and the Giro. I guess is his own fault.

I agree but he's still need a stronger team. I'm lobbying to load up EF with former studs like Sagan. Add him into the Columbian crew they've got there.

 

[SHAD0W93]

2014.

Still a former winner if he had committed to Giro.

 

[Escarabajo]

In the meantime La Vuelta a España is desperately looking for GC riders for La Vuelta. It has been a struggle for them to get good names in there.

The system is not working properly if the Vuelta favors no names to support the Spanish base who don't care in the first place. Same goes for the Giro.

Oh well! we'll see what happens.

 

[Red Rick]

Really? What good does it really do to have Bardiani riding around in the race?

They're an Italian team.

 

[tobydawq]

They're an Italian team.

Oh, I thought they were Zimbabwenese.

 

[lenric]

Still a former winner if he had committed to Giro.

6 years ago. Hardly relevant as of today when you have to decide between a national team and a french (or spanish) one.
From a business standpoint, it makes more sense to have a national team with a (relatively) big national sponsor than a french team with a french sponsor whose business is mainly done in France. Arkea would simply not focus on the Giro, but on the Tour obviously. The inverse happens with (for example) Bardiani.

 

[Koronin]

In the meantime La Vuelta a España is desperately looking for GC riders for La Vuelta. It has been a struggle for them to get good names in there.

The system is not working properly if the Vuelta favors no names to support the Spanish base who don't care in the first place. Same goes for the Giro.

Oh well! we'll see what happens.

La Vuelta it's self said before they made their picks for this year that Spanish teams will always take precedent over any other team for wild cards as they view it as their basically responsibility to do whatever they can to help Spanish cycling survive and thrive. They also said the only non Spanish team they were even semi considering inviting with Van Der Poel's team.

 

[Escarabajo]

La Vuelta it's self said before they made their picks for this year that Spanish teams will always take precedent over any other team for wild cards as they view it as their basically responsibility to do whatever they can to help Spanish cycling survive and thrive. They also said the only non Spanish team they were even semi considering inviting with Van Der Poel's team.

You hate Quintana so much that you missed the point. Sure I want to see Van Der Poel in La Vuelta.

 

[Koronin]

You hate Quintana so much that you missed the point. Sure I want to see Van Der Poel in La Vuelta.

It's what la Vuelta has said about where their wild card invites go.

Quintana took a chance going to a Pro Conti team instead of a WT team. Going to a French team meant he was likely going to the Tour, but unlikely going to the Giro or Vuelta due to both of those GT's preferring their own Pro Conti teams.

 

[Escarabajo]

Nairo ends his season and probably will do surgery on his left knee which is still in pain and was found to have a patella tear (Google translate).

“La rodilla izquierda tiene una ruptura en la rótula y tenemos que posiblemente hacer una cirugía”: Nairo Quintana

A través de un video emitido por su oficina de prensa, el pedalista colombiano Nairo Quintana confirmó este miércoles que su temporada 2020 ha finalizado y posiblemente será sometido a una intervención quirúrgica en su rodilla izquierda, ante una ruptura en su rótula. El boyacense confirmó que...

www.revistamundociclistico.com

The tear was found like 10 days ago but the surgery is a new thing today.

 

[Koronin]

Nairo ends his season and probably will do surgery on his left knee which is still in pain and was found to have a patella tear (Google translate).

“La rodilla izquierda tiene una ruptura en la rótula y tenemos que posiblemente hacer una cirugía”: Nairo Quintana

A través de un video emitido por su oficina de prensa, el pedalista colombiano Nairo Quintana confirmó este miércoles que su temporada 2020 ha finalizado y posiblemente será sometido a una intervención quirúrgica en su rodilla izquierda, ante una ruptura en su rótula. El boyacense confirmó que...

www.revistamundociclistico.com

The tear was found like 10 days ago but the surgery is a new thing today.

Hope the surgery goes well.