Vuelta a España - Nairo Quintana: It's nice to do so well in an 'anti-Nairo' stage
Sep 12 2019 12:40 am CET
Photo of Nairo Quintana by Jonathan Roorda / CyclingPub.com
Movistar's Nairo Quintana was the GC rider that profited the most of the wind and craziness of the 17th stage at the Vuelta a España.
The Colombian rider was at the right place and at the right time at the start of the stage when echelons caused a break in the peloton that left behind most of the GC contenders. At the end of the day, Quintana managed to climb to the second overall position after crossing the finish line five minutes and 19 seconds before the Red Jersey group.
"We made the right moves, and I hope I can recover from my recent illness because this was a spectacular stage," said the Colombian after the finish line. "We made huge gains into a stage where anything could happen. Here we are, back again. I’m steadily improving from my flu, but I have to wait for tomorrow in the mountains to see how I’m really doing.
"It’s nice to do so well in what you could call an ‘anti-Nairo’ stage, flat and so windy. I always said I’d give my everything until the very end. Our plan was to make the race leader’s team suffer from those attacks, and ahead in my group, gain as much time as possible. We’re back in contention for La Roja; my health didn’t help me much due to the coughing, but we’ll keep on fighting. And if our legs get tired, we’ll pedal with our heart."
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