Former Giro d’Italia winner Nairo Quintana has supplied a spirited defence of Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates’ quest for as many Giro d’Italia stage victories as potential, saying that whereas he and Movistar adopted a special technique when he was dominating in Grand Tours, different techniques are equally legitimate.
Currently, thirty first total, Quintana indicated pre-race that he would chase stage wins slightly than his preliminary goal of a excessive GC end. He is slated to trip in assist of teammate Enric Mas on the Vuelta a España later within the yr.
The Colombian fell sufferer to UAE Team Emirates collective determination to go for a stage win with Pogačar on Saturday when a promising-looking 14-man early break through which he took half was reeled in by the maglia rosa’s workforce on the ultimate climb, the Prati di Tivo.
But because the 34-year-old veteran informed Cyclingnews on the stage 9 begin at Avezzano, Pogačar’s relative youth partly defined his and workforce’s ultra-ambitious stance. Furthermore, Quintana mentioned, when it got here to combating for victories and going for stage wins, no single technique was essentially the correct one.
“There’s a Colombian tune on the market which says ‘Yo tambien tuve quince años’ – [‘I was 15 once too’ – Ed.] so I simply put myself in his place,” he argued.
“Each chief does what he desires and that’s completely acceptable, he’s having fun with doing it that means.”
Back in his day when he was profitable Grand Tours, Quintana mentioned, “We did it in a different way. We gave different groups their likelihood to win. But his strategy is completely acceptable as properly.”
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The winner of the Giro d’Italia again in 2014 and second total in 2017, Quintana mentioned that he was something however stunned that Pogačar was already so well-positioned to say the general victory. However, he warned that the combat for the GC was something however over.
“For positive there will likely be some massive battles to return. But all of us knew from day one he was the massive favorite, that he would seemingly fulfil all of the expectations everyone had of him on this yr’s Giro, and that’s precisely what he’s doing.”
Quintana had come into the Giro d’Italia with a greater than uneven begin to the season, which was preceded by a tumultuous 2023.
The Giro d’Italia is his first Grand Tour after a return to racing this season ended a year-long hiatus following his optimistic for tramadol within the Tour de France 2022. At the time tramadol was not punishable with a suspension, however he parted firm with Arkea-Samsic, and eventually started a second stint with former workforce Movistar in 2024.
Quintana contracted COVID-19 on the Tour Colombia, nevertheless, which delayed the beginning of his European season, whereas a crash on the Volta a Catalunya left Quintana with a displaced collarbone and put his 2024 Giro participation unsure.
Finally, although, he takes half within the Giro, and stage 8 noticed him on the assault for the primary time, sooner than had been anticipated, with the later climbing days his predominant goal.
With a stage win for Pelayo Sanchez on stage 6, “It’s been week for us with Einer [Rubio, eighth overall at 5:28 – Ed.] within the prime ten, too, and we’re hoping he’ll do even higher,” he identified. “Then the mountains ought to favour us within the third week as properly.”
Quintana mentioned he had not been anticipating to get into a giant transfer so quickly, however “It was a break with all of the groups in there, and we couldn’t be lacking from that. Our workforce wasn’t a part of it at first, however we bought two of us into it, and we have been hoping to get away.”
Although that transfer did not work out, the subsequent step, he argued, was to get into the climbing phases within the third week. The Giro’s ascent of the Stelvio on stage 16, the place he launched a transfer that successfully gained him the 2014 race, was one thing he was trying ahead to particularly.
“That’s one which brings me good recollections, and it might be one in all them for me. But,” he added with a smile, “let’s see what the chief’s workforce has to say about that, too.”