Teams & Riders Nairo Quintana discussion thread

[Eddy Evenepoel]

If we say the Froome era is the 4 tours Froome won:

2013: Quintana 2nd (4'20), Bardet 15th (26'42)
2015: Quintana 2nd (1'12), 9th Bardet (16'00)
2016: Bardet 2nd (4'05), Quintana 3rd (4'21)
2017: Bardet 3rd (2'20), Quintana 12th (15'28) (PS! Quintana did the Giro this year, finished 2nd).

Even if Froome didnt win the Tour 2014 you could probably say it belongs to the Froome era. Bardet was 6th, 11'26 behind Nibali, while Quintana won the Giro and crashed out of the Vuelta instead of riding the Tour.

I think you got to have a very strange view on things to say that they were on equal level. And even if you look purely at results 2+2+3 is significantly better than 2+3.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Quintana:

2013: 2nd, +4'20" (1 stage win, KOM and BYR)
2015: 2nd, +1'12" (BYR)
2016: 3rd, +4'21"

Bardet:

2016: 2nd, +4'05" (1 stage win)
2017: 3rd, +2'20"

With Froome being stronger I’m 2013 and 2015 compared to his latter two wins as well.

 

[HelloDolly]

I thought but for the cross winds Quintana would have won in 2015 ?

 

[Mayomaniac]

I thought but for the cross winds Quintana would have won in 2015 ?

Math wise He would have...

 

[Red Rick]

Quintana would have won the 2015 Tour if he had just joined Nibali on his attack and then dropped Nibali on La Toussuire. He took 30s on Froome on the easiest section of La Toussuire, he was that much better.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Quintana would have won the 2015 Tour if he had just joined Nibali on his attack and then dropped Nibali on La Toussuire. He took 30s on Froome on the easiest section of La Toussuire, he was that much better.

Unzue in the team car and Movistar also wanting Valverde on the podium didn't hep either, but 201 Froome was there for the taking.

 

[Tim Cahill]

La Pierre St-Martin still living rent free around these parts I see, as irritating as it was, Porte coming round at the end with a sh*t eating grin was hilarious, along with Thomas finishing with Valverde looking like he was on a club ride. Peak-Sky silliness.

Surprised to see it's only been used as a finish once actually.

 

[Oldermanish]

Quintana would have won the 2015 Tour if he had just joined Nibali on his attack and then dropped Nibali on La Toussuire. He took 30s on Froome on the easiest section of La Toussuire, he was that much better.

Actually there should be two "ifs".....and if he dropped Nibali on La Toussuire

 

[Unchained]

Actually there should be two "ifs".....and if he dropped Nibali on La Toussuire

I would have won the 2015 TDF if. I got my entry fee sent in on time. There were some other issues with clothing.. so I would have easily won if I had shorts and jerseys to last until the rest days, then I would just find a laundromat and get everything clean. Plus what if. they don't have WD-40 in France? How am I supposed to win without the do everything lubricant? And then food..I don't know for sure but I ain't eatin' pate and smelly cheese and croissants.. I have heard that in France they don't have those pink coconut marshmallow snowball snacks and I need those for top performance.
Also rumored that the only beer they drink in France is Bud Light, last time I drank Bud Light I got lots of compliments about my bike shorts and danced with 4 cowboys. One guy said I looked like a young Richard Simmons w shaved legs and funny tan lines..But the main reason I didn't win the Tour in 2015 was had issues with my shifters not going in all the gears and I figured I was going to need a 43x21 for some of the bigger climbs

 

[Oldermanish]

I would have won the 2015 TDF if. I got my entry fee sent in on time. There were some other issues with clothing.. so I would have easily won if I had shorts and jerseys to last until the rest days, then I would just find a laundromat and get everything clean. Plus what if. they don't have WD-40 in France? How am I supposed to win without the do everything lubricant? And then food..I don't know for sure but I ain't eatin' pate and smelly cheese and croissants.. I have heard that in France they don't have those pink coconut marshmallow snowball snacks and I need those for top performance.
Also rumored that the only beer they drink in France is Bud Light, last time I drank Bud Light I got lots of compliments about my bike shorts and danced with 4 cowboys. One guy said I looked like a young Richard Simmons w shaved legs and funny tan lines..But the main reason I didn't win the Tour in 2015 was had issues with my shifters not going in all the gears and I figured I was going to need a 43x21 for some of the bigger climbs

You have to admit most of that failure was on you. Sorry to be so cruel but at least you made some friends at the French Cowboy Bar. You should've known what would happen there even if you didn't know what Le Cabbalero Caberet meant.

 

[Scarponi]

Never expected to open this thread someone seriously say Bardet was better than Quintana lol. Quintana could thrash everyone on his day in his peak

 

[perico]

Quintana beat froome to won la vuelta you mug

So did Contador

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

So did Contador

Is this supposed to make Nairos win less worth?
Contador was an amazing rider.

 

[Bolder]

Never expected to open this thread someone seriously say Bardet was better than Quintana lol. Quintana could thrash everyone on his day in his peak

I won't argue with that, but I always thought Bardet has underperformed a bit. Maybe he just needed a better team.

Anyway, I have no idea what to expect from a tramadol-free Quintana this year, but he deserves another shot in the WT.

 

[Scarponi]

I won't argue with that, but I always thought Bardet has underperformed a bit. Maybe he just needed a better team.

Anyway, I have no idea what to expect from a tramadol-free Quintana this year, but he deserves another shot in the WT.

If he learns the new Jumbo training program he could be even better!

 

[Cookster15]

I guess he ddn't have many choices. But I am disappointed he returned to Movistar. Can't see him being happy knowing how Unzúe treated him before and then blamed him for under performing.

 

[hfer07]

I still have that memory of Nairo in 2020 and flying in Paris-Nice & La Province, thinking to myself that he was going to surprise everyone in the Tour...... until the World got lockdown....
one factor that I still consider a factor was his double knee surgery during the lockdown time, which he underwent in order to address an underlying issue- yet his recovery was sooo complicated....... anyways..
I wonder how the team dynamics are going to work in Movistar with his return, given how poor they have been performing since his departure...

 

[Mayomaniac]

I still have that memory of Nairo in 2020 and flying in Paris-Nice & La Province, thinking to myself that he was going to surprise everyone in the Tour...... until the World got lockdown....
one factor that I still consider a factor was his double knee surgery during the lockdown time, which he underwent in order to address an underlying issue- yet his recovery was sooo complicated....... anyways..
I wonder how the team dynamics are going to work in Movistar with his return, given how poor they have been performing since his departure...

He was still good in that Tour before the stage 13 crash, but since his double knee surgery his recovery/consecutive mountain stages seem to have become a problem for him. Maybe the extra rest/less stress on his body this year was actually helpful.

 

[perico]

Is this supposed to make Nairos win less worth?
Contador was an amazing rider.

Considering that I was, and remain to this day, one of the biggest Contador fanboys on this message board, I would agree that he was an amazing rider. I was pointing out that while it was a great win for Nairo, it was due to Contador’s aggression, who beat Froome head to head multiple times at La Vuelta.

 

[Peter von]

I guess he ddn't have many choices. But I am disappointed he returned to Movistar. Can't see him being happy knowing how Unzúe treated him before and then blamed him for under performing.

yeah. tbf though going from no team to any WT team is pretty big leap.

 

[Unchained]

Maybe I missed were Quintana laid out season objectives either personally or team goals, and didn't see a Movistar press release warning Remco, Log and Jonas that the old tiny sheriff is back in town!! Look out!!

 

[Kaptain Kool]

I guess he ddn't have many choices. But I am disappointed he returned to Movistar. Can't see him being happy knowing how Unzúe treated him before and then blamed him for under performing.

Movistar seems like the perfect team for Quintana. It's a case of Eusebio welcoming an old friend back into the family. It's a team and sponsor where Quintana will have more clout post-riding career, too, whether it's just a few PR appearances per year or more ambitious projects. There was already a big Movistar Colombia "Nairo 5 Years Later" event. On any other team he'd just be a random star in the autumn of his career.

 

[Cookster15]

Movistar seems like the perfect team for Quintana. It's a case of Eusebio welcoming an old friend back into the family. It's a team and sponsor where Quintana will have more clout post-riding career, too, whether it's just a few PR appearances per year or more ambitious projects. There was already a big Movistar Colombia "Nairo 5 Years Later" event. On any other team he'd just be a random star in the autumn of his career.

As I said, he didn’t have any other realistic options to return to the peloton. But the “old friend” nearly destroyed Quintana’s career. In 2016 Nairo had won the Giro and Vuelta with two TdF runner up finishes. Yet Unzue overlooked Quintana for an aging Valverde to lead the team? Anyone with Quintana’s record at that time treated that way would have motivational issues. So when Quintana’s results and motivation inevitably fell away he was blamed and labeled as unprofessional. Cause and effect. Quite appalling IMO.

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

As I said, he didn’t have any other realistic options to return to the peloton. But the “old friend” nearly destroyed Quintana’s career. In 2016 Nairo had won the Giro and Vuelta with two TdF runner up finishes. Yet Unzue overlooked Quintana for an aging Valverde to lead the team? Anyone with Quintana’s record at that time treated that way would have motivational issues. So when Quintana’s results and motivation inevitably fell away he was blamed and labeled as unprofessional. Cause and effect. Quite appalling IMO.

Well, but that's really only what happened in some weird fantasy world.
In the real world Quintana from a certain point on just lost a step..

 

[ice&fire]

As I said, he didn’t have any other realistic options to return to the peloton. But the “old friend” nearly destroyed Quintana’s career. In 2016 Nairo had won the Giro and Vuelta with two TdF runner up finishes. Yet Unzue overlooked Quintana for an aging Valverde to lead the team? Anyone with Quintana’s record at that time treated that way would have motivational issues. So when Quintana’s results and motivation inevitably fell away he was blamed and labeled as unprofessional. Cause and effect. Quite appalling IMO.

In 2016 Valverde went to Giro for GC, Nairo was a step below at the Tour than in 2015 (apparently due to health issues) but still on podium and then he won the Vuelta.
After that, someone decided that Nairo would attempt the Giro-Tour double in 2017. I'm not sure if the idea came first from the team or the rider. He lost the Giro by half a minute but was out of the top-10 in the Tour. That's when things started going down. I didn't hear of any complaint from Nairo or his entourage about the season goals until his father blamed the team when he started losing time at the Tour.
Then, Movistar signed Landa for 2018-2019. Their 2018 results must have led to Movistar to believe that neither Landa nor Quintana were solid enough to extend their contracts. At the end of 2018 they were told that renewal talks would start after the Giro for Landa (and Carapaz), and after the Tour for Quintana. Someone must have thought this would be an incentive for better results, but we know it backfired and all of them had new teams for 2020 before they started their 2019 season goals. Later that year Movistar hired Enric Mas as their long term leader to contest GTs.
I can't see how this is overlooking Quintana for an aging Valverde to lead the team. I believe that his motivation issues started with the arrival of Landa.