MADRID, 19 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana, from the Movistar Team, confirmed this Thursday his presence in the next edition of the Vuelta a España, a round whose route has been revealed in Madrid and where he will be together “with Enric Mas”, leader of his team, after “looking for good feelings” in the Giro d’Italia.
“Initially I plan to come to La Vuelta with Enric Mas. We have to prepare well, especially the ‘time trials’ which fortunately are not too long and we can defend ourselves well. It will be a good Vuelta for us,” the Colombian assured the media. after the presentation of the tour at the Municipal Palace of Ifema Madrid.
Quintana, who was honored as the winner of the race in 2016, confessed that he “very much” likes the route presented by the start from Italy, which brings back “good memories.” “Then the large part of the north avoiding the heat that we spent the first ten days of this last edition,” he celebrated in this regard.
“We have L’Angliru, which is a finish where many differences are always made and it is very important. And finally, the Bola del Mundo, in the Madrid mountains, where we climbed in 2012 and it will surely make differences knowing that it is the leader’s opportunity to defend his leadership and second and third to play for the podium,” said the Colombian.
The Spanish race will be among his “objectives” where the Giro d’Italia will also be there to “seek good feelings.” “I have to do very well, it is the opportunity to do well that I have during the year. And La Vuelta is the other objective, especially for the team led by Enric,” Quintana said in the press ‘canutazo’.
For the new course, he is preparing “like every year” at this point in the calendar. “Now we come from two weeks of training with the team in Valencia. We are going to start the season very early, in Mallorca, doing a first part to Volta a Catalunya and there I will have a rest. I will prepare at altitude for the Giro d’Italia and then I will be prepared for La Vuelta,” concluded Quintana.