Nairo Quintana has revealed that he’ll tackle two Grand Excursions in 2025, with the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España each amongst his targets for the brand new season.
The Colombian is making ready for his second season again at Movistar, the tenth of his profession with the Spanish squad. He turns 35 in February however nonetheless has excessive hopes for the longer term, with a free function on the Giro in Might on the menu together with a help function for Enric Mas on the Vuelta.
He took on each races in 2024 after a 12 months away from top-level racing in 2023. A second place on stage 15 of the Giro, at Livigno, was the spotlight of his 12 months simply gone, although he informed Spanish paper AS that he has “good sensations” and “nice numbers” forward of the brand new marketing campaign.
“We’ve been in Valencia including two excellent weeks of coaching, and I’ve seen that the younger individuals of the workforce are fairly sturdy,” Quintana stated. As for me, the sensations have been good, with nice numbers and a want to proceed having fun with the competitors.”
Quintana introduced that he’ll race largely in Spain earlier than heading to the Giro in Might, with March’s Tirreno-Adriatico his single race outdoors of Iberia within the opening months of the season.
“I’ll begin with the Problem de Mallorca. I can even do the Clásica Almería, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Volta a Catalunya. I’ll attempt to put together for the Giro d’Italia in the absolute best manner as a result of it’s one in every of my goals,” Quintana stated.
“My schedule is a bit much like final season. The thought can also be to be on the Vuelta a España to assist Enric get him to the rostrum or larger,” he added earlier than occurring to stipulate the explanation he is persevering with his profession into his late 30s.
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“Having fun with on the bike daily that I’m on it. Happiness. I like successful races. I like being with the perfect. And that makes me joyful. That’s the reason I’m right here and that’s what I need to do that season.”
Following the departure of Classics revelation Oier Lazkano and versatile finisher Alex Aranburu over the winter, Movistar’s 2025 hopes relaxation largely on Mas scoring good leads to stage races.
Nevertheless, the workforce has added one rising star within the form of Pablo Castrillo, the 23-year-old double Vuelta stage winner, who arrives from Kern Pharma. Together with the likes of Giro stage winner Pelayo Sánchez and U23 world time trial champion Iván Romeo, Castrillo’s signing reveals that the workforce are constructing a stable younger core.
Quintana stated that the workforce, and the press, ought to give Castrillo time and freedom as he makes the step as much as the WorldTour, and with it, a possible 2025 Tour de France begin.
“We’ve signings that give power to the workforce and with the arrival of Pablo I ask for calm, that we don’t smother him. He himself will take the suitable steps and we’ll absolutely see him giving some surprises within the Tour,” Quintana stated.
“We’ve seen that Iván Romeo has taken that step within the time trial together with his and it provides him confidence to struggle with the perfect and the consolidation of Pelayo and Castrillo. The intention is for younger individuals to take steps ahead and for us to attempt to information them and provides them our expertise.
“We’ve already seen within the final Vuelta what Castrillo is able to doing, and within the Tour de France, we now have to take him with freedom and let him proceed to get pleasure from himself. We’ve to divide the workforce to be as sturdy as doable on the completely different fronts as a result of we can have many rivals always.”
Quintana additionally praised his countryman Diego Pescador. The 20-year-old, who completed seventh at this 12 months’s Tour de l’Avenir, is one other new younger addition to the Movistar squad, is one other new younger face on the Spanish squad.
“He has chosen to return to Movistar and I feel he can have nice alternatives to begin rising in several races which are appropriate for him,” Quintana stated. “He has that means. I’m positive he is among the Colombians who will proceed to hold on that legacy of Latin American cyclists.”
