Tour de France - Nairo Quintana comes out from late crash practically unscathed
Jul 18 2019 01:50 am CET
Photo of Nairo Quintana
Movistar's Nairo Quintana was involved in the late crash of the 11th stage at the Tour de France, after which he led a chase that eventually got to the peloton.
The Colombian was part of the crash that happened with 30 kilometres to go -in which Niki Terpstra was the biggest victim and had to withdraw- along with other riders like Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), but only suffered superficial injuries, particularly in the elbow. The two riders and their teammates commanded the chase that lasted a couple of kilometres until they got to the pack.
"It was a quite nervous finale, with many switchbacks and narrow roads, which led to the inevitable: a crash," explained Quintana at the end of the stage. "You always try to avoid danger in such finishes, and I was able to break a bit before the incident, yet I couldn’t avoid it.
"I’m OK, and that’s the important thing: the legs are fine, and this shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve got to put some ice on my elbow, the only area bruised at the crash, and it should be good for tomorrow. The team got back together quickly and we could join forces with Richie Porte’s squad to come back and finish safely."
This crash happened after the rest day, in which the Colombian did everything he could to regain strength for the second week of the French grand tour. "We enjoyed a nice rest day, recovering and spending some quality time with our family and team, catching some air before the crucial stages of this Tour," he explained.
"Tomorrow we start to face the ‘big exams’ for us, those stages where we have to perform and start making up time. We’ve got Mikel in a good position when it comes to trying some different strategies, and he’s physically well, just like Alejandro (Valverde) and the whole squad."
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