In limbo: Nairo Quintana drops in on the Vuelta a España

With the Vuelta a España visiting Andorra, whose mountain roads and tax-efficient status have made it a hub for professional cyclists, the riders kicking about weren’t just the ones with numbers on their backs. As various riders, enjoying busmen’s holidays, greeted their teammates from the other side of the proverbial fence, one stood out: Nairo Quintana.

As it stands, the Colombian is not technically a professional cyclist - without a team since his disqualification from last year’s Tour de France over positive tests for Tramadol. However, he still has a second home in Andorra, and is spending some time here in between various projects back in Colombia.

Quintana, who won the Vuelta in 2016, watched Monday’s stage roadside of the Coll d’Ordino, the penultimate climb of the day, and he rocked up in the start area in Andorra la Vella on Tuesday morning ahead of stage 4.

The 33-year-old made his way around the paddock, chatting with riders, notably the six Colombians present at the race.

"The Vuelta is a race I’ve always liked, and today it’s starting out from my front door, so I wanted to come down and say hi to a few people,” Quintana said, making some time for the media, too.

He described the experience as “strange” and there was a hint of melancholy when he was asked what was most strange: “Not having a number on,” he said simply and softly. "On the other hand, it’s nice to be able to enjoy, in some way, the cycling environment.”

© Patrick Fletcher

Nairo Quintana drops in on fellow Colombian Juan Sebastian Molano

With the start area in Andorra la Vella representing something of a pro cycling social club, Quintana appeared oddly out of place. Caught between question marks over his past and uncertainty over his future, he is a man in limbo.

It must be pointed out that Quintana committed no doping offence last year, given Tramadol is banned under the UCI’s medical regulations, but the optics of testing positive for a banned drug - one that will be added to the WADA’s and UCI’s banned list next year - are not in his favour. That’s perhaps partly why he has not, despite being eligible to race, found a team since he was let go by Arkéa-Samsic last summer.

In that respect, there was no major news on his future, which in itself is newsworthy.

“You always have to dream and hope it will be possible. I’ll keep fighting for what I want and what I was made to do,” Quintana said, reiterating his desire to return to the pro peloton. “I’ve been doing everything possible within my command. I’ve been training well all year. Little by little let’s see what’s possible.”

The broad outlines of Quintana’s message remained the same as they have for the past year, but it was delivered with rather less heart than his Wolf of Wall Street-esque press conference at the start of the year. In fact, he tellingly acknowledged a crack between hope and reality.

“Within my hope, and within my self, I hope so. After that, reality will decide," he said.

When it came to the details of his search, Quintana was vague. Asked if there had been any productive talks, he said: “There have been a few talks, and I hope they will be [productive] for next year. We’ve simply set out our possibility to be part of a team,” he added, referring to his long-time agent, Giuseppe Acquadro.

“We’re fighting for the opportunity to be back there in the races,” he said, gazing over as the peloton rolled away.

Vuelta a España

• Dates 26 Aug - 17 Sept
• Race Length 3,133 kms
• Race Category Elite Men