Nairo Quintana's former doctor to face doping trial over 2020 Tour de France raid

Nairo Quintana's former doctor will go on trial later this year for alleged doping offences relating to the 2020 Tour de France.

Fredy Alexander Gonzales Torres, a Colombian doctor, is facing charges of "possession of a prohibited substance or method for use by an athlete without medical justification" and will stand trial on 2 September in Marseille, France, according to reports in the French press.

Torres worked for Arkéa-Samsic, Quintana’s then team, at the 2020 Tour de France when the team’s hotel rooms and cars were raided by the Central Office for the Fight against Threats to Environmental and Public Health (OCLAESP). Both Nairo and his brother Dayer Quintana’s rooms were searched as a part of the raid in Méribel, conducted after stage 17 of the race.

That raid turned up, according to Le Télégramme, injection equipment, saline bags and a tourniquet. The UCI introduced a no needle policy in 2011 that prohibits the use of needles “without a clear and recognised medical indication”.

Soon after the raid was revealed, Quintana released a statement via his social media channels, insisting his innocence and stating that no doping products were found.

“So that there is no doubt, I want to confirm that no doping substances were ever found,” he said. “I don’t have and never have had anything to hide.”

Neither of the Quintana brothers will face any charges in relation to the raid, according to the latest reports, although files related to the case have reportedly been sent to the relevant sporting authorities for consideration.

Meanwhile, if found guilty, Torres could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a €75,000 fine.

• Read more: Nairo Quintana has already paid the consequences for what happened, says Movistar boss

The news comes in the same week that Quintana, a former winner of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, made his return to racing in his home country at the Tour Colombia after over a year away from the professional peloton. The 34-year-old had been without a team since 2022 after testing positive for Tramadol twice at the Tour de France and was subsequently stripped of his sixth-place finish at the French Grand Tour.

Tramadol wasn’t banned by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) at the time but was under the UCI's own medical regulations. Quintana's team, Arkéa-Samsic, terminated his contract and a long absence from the sport pursued as he struggled to find a team until a return to Movistar for the 2024 season was confirmed in October, having previously ridden for the team between 2012 and 2019.

Nairo Quintana

• Team Movistar Team
• Nationality Colombia
• Age 34
• UCI Wins 54
• Height 1.67m