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Vuelta a Espana 2018: Quintana needs boost after Tour disappointments

Two-time Grand Tour winner Nairo Quintana needs a big performance at the Vuelta a Espana to restore his damaged reputation.

By Opta
Nairo Quintana needs a big performance at the Vuelta a Espana to restore his damaged reputation

Madrid, August 24: Nairo Quintana heads into the 2018 Vuelta a Espana with his stock on the wane after two disappointing attempts to win the Tour de France.

Quintana burst onto the scene in 2012 and for four years he was a leading contender at the Grand Tours but competing for podium places has proved far more difficult for him over the last 12 months.

It is a stark fall from grace for Quintana and if he fails to deliver again in Spain questions will begin to be asked – even if his popularity in Colombia remains as high as ever.

So what does the 28-year-old need to do to put himself back at the top end of cycling?

Well, simply, he needs to win. But putting time into his red-jersey rivals with meaningful breaks in a strong performance on the mountainous Vuelta route would also go a long way to stopping the rot.

Even questioning Quintana's ability to win another Grand Tour would have been unthinkable two years ago when he claimed the Vuelta title, fighting off Chris Froome to leave put him one Tour de France success away from completing the triple crown.

However, his quest to achieve that has seen him fall down the pecking order as the once dominant Colombian began to falter in his natural hunting ground of the mountains.

When a 22-year-old Quintana announced himself to the world with a stage victory at the Criterium du Dauphine, many expected him to establish himself as a Grand Tour challenger for years to come.

Superb performances on Mont Ventoux, Alpe d'Huez and the Zoncolan only embellished those expectations before he won the 2014 Giro d'Italia.

The way he handled the Tour cobbles 12 months later suggested a yellow jersey was not far away and with his incessant attacking he almost delivered it, however Froome just had too much.

Second place was an impressive achievement, though, and when he claimed another podium place in 2016 it only seemed a matter of time before he took the top spot.

He achieved it at the Vuelta later that year but ever since then his star has lost some of its shine.

Quintana saw the Giro title snatched from his grasp in 2017 by time-trial specialist Tom Dumoulin and when it came to the Tour he lost time to Froome where he used to be so strong – the mountains.

He let slip a significant chunk on the Col de Peyresourde and there were similar problems at this year's race, his preparations in Colombia failing to deliver once again.

He was unlucky with punctures early on but losing time in the Alps raised concerns about Quintana's ability to stay with the new breed of all-around cyclists like Froome and eventual winner Geraint Thomas.

There was a glimpse of the old Quintana as he won stage 17 atop the Col de Portet but it only served to get him a top-10 place in the general classification, a long way from where he wanted to be when he addressed the media three weeks earlier.

The Vuelta has served as a happy hunting ground for Quintana in the past and this year, maybe more than ever before, he needs it to be again.

Story first published: Friday, August 24, 2018, 16:48 [IST]
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