On Sunday morning, while fellow Colombians Egan Bernal and Rigoberto Urán were racing hard at the Tour de France, still unemployed ex-pro Nairo Quintana was on a group training ride in Colombia preparing for the Giro d’Italia – Ride Like A Pro Gran Fondo taking place in Quito, Ecuador 30 July. Unfortunately for Quintana, his ride ended like a lot of Tour de France pros this year – with a crash.

The former Arkea-Samsic and Movistar rider went down hard after hitting an oil patch, leaving the 33 year-old with large strawberries of missing skin and a broken bike.

Despite the physical and mechanical carnage, Quintana was in good spirits and claimed to be uninjured.

“This is just part of the job,” he said while sitting on the side of the road waiting for a ride home. “I will return to training to continue staying in shape and thus increase the chances of returning to the competitive world.”

In 2022 Quintana tested positive for Tramadol in an anti-doping test and was disqualified from a top 10 Tour de France finish. In addition, Team Arkea-Samsic released him and he has been unable to find work as a pro cyclist ever since.

While Quintana is still training and hopes to one day secure another pro contract, he is also working as a gran fondo organizer, hosting two Nairo Quintana events this year, Gran Fondo Nairo Mexico on 29 October and Gran Fondo Nairo Colombia 26 November.

Photo Credit: Instagram/@nairoquincoficial

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