Nairo Quintana. 30 years old. Now the big fish on a new team, the second order French Arkea. He looks fit and motivated. The new team seems to have embraced him and stepped up their game.
That first year, the off year for Sky at the Tour, I saw a Quintana with one h*** of an engine and a fire in his gut that had to play second fiddle to (I don’t even remember who). After that I saw a fire that was never quite “right”. Movistar backup plans behind him “just in case”. Nairo basking in the Columbian limelight too much. His other passions taking too much out of him.
Now he’s the man on a team that seems to have embraced him and that might just bring another country of fans behind him and while it’s a “B” team, it’s French so automatic passes to the big French races. He doesn’t have to burn himself out to get on the Tour squad or get the team into the Tour. 30 years old with no setback seasons (major crashes or injuries), nearly a decade of experience at the top of the cycling world, a world class engine. A little guy who can climb like a rocket with the (probably grudging) respect of the big guys, including the enforcer types whose job it is to intimidate the little guys. (He ran one of those guys into a ditch years ago, They give him space.) I remember the Tour stage a few years ago. Southern France, high cross wind all day. He rode just back from the front the entire stage, in shelter but always visible from the leading cameras. Only little guy to be seen up there. I saw that and though that guy knows how to ride a race!
So, can he do it? Well …, hope springs eternal.
Ben
