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Nairo Quintana will goal the Giro d’Italia on his return to the professional peloton, as Enric Mas takes the reins as soon as once more on the Tour de France, with each riders set to hitch forces for Movistar on the Vuelta a España.
The Spanish group, which has males’s and girls’s squads, held their 2024 group presentation on Thursday, as a part of the celebrations for the one hundredth anniversary of Telefónica, the mother or father firm of title sponsor Movistar.
The main information was the outlining of the group’s Grand Tour plans for 2024, with Quintana slotting straight again right into a management position on his return to the group after a four-year absence, and his return to the peloton after 18 months away within the wake of his optimistic checks for Tramadol.
The 33-year-old will take intention on the Giro in Could, named as group chief alongside his fellow Colombian Einer Rubio, who positioned eleventh total at this 12 months’s version of the Italian Grand Tour.
“The Giro is a race I haven’t accomplished lots, however one which, logically, I like lots,” mentioned Quintana, whose two appearances have resulted in victory in 2014 and the runner-up spot in 2017.
Fairly other than the query marks over his kind, the route for the 2024 Giro d’Italia would possibly pose a barrier to a repeat of these exploits, with 68.2km of particular person time trialling and a notable discount within the complete quantity of climbing over the three weeks.
Quintana will kick off his 2024 marketing campaign on residence soil, racing his nationwide championships and the Tour Colombia, earlier than returning to Europe to absorb Volta a Catalunya and Itzulia Basque Nation forward of the beginning of the Giro on 4 Could.
In any case, simply being again in a group package meant lots to Quintana, who has been in exile since final summer season. He was not banned for breaking the Tramadol guidelines, and it didn’t represent an anti-doping offence on the time (though it will from 2024), however his contract with Arkéa-Samsic was terminated and he struggled to discover a new group earlier than his outdated employers threw him a lifeline.
“It’s one of many happiest moments of my life, to be right here at this time,” mentioned Quintana, who rode for Movistar between 2012 and 2019, successful the Vuelta a España in addition to the Giro, plus three Tour de France podiums.
“I’m grateful, I’m emotional, and I’m joyful to be beginning a brand new period, joyful to be residence.”
Mas, Tour, and Vuelta
Later within the season, Quintana will be part of forces with Enric Mas, the rider who successfully changed him as the focus of Movistar’s Grand Tour ambitions from 2020. Each riders have an excellent observe file on the Vuelta a España – Mas 3 times a runner-up, Quintana a winner in 2016 – and so they’ll observe one thing of a Movistar blueprint of leaders splitting the Giro and Tour earlier than congregating for the group’s ‘residence’ Grand Tour.
“What I consider Nairo is, I believe, what everybody thinks of Nairo. He began right here, he grew to become nice right here, he had a four-year parenthesis the place he was away from residence, however he’s going to deliver lots to the desk, together with his expertise and his high quality. He has gained so many issues. He made himself nice right here and he’s going to proceed to be nice now he’s again.”
As for Mas himself, the Spaniard will once more eschew a Giro d’Italia debut with a view to return to the Tour de France for a sixth 12 months in a row. He was fifth in 2020 and sixth in 2021 however has endured two depressing editions since, catching the yips after which COVID in 2022 and crashing out on the very first day this 12 months.
“I simply want for no unhealthy luck,” mentioned Mas after a bruising marketing campaign. “I really feel like I used all of it up now anyway.
“It’s all expertise that can serve me nicely sooner or later, for moments in or out of the races the place you need to maintain your chin up and inform your self you will get by means of these moments.”
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