The Nairo Quintana issue has not been closed. He will participate in the road test of the National Cycling Championship this Sunday and expects him to travel to Europe to sort out his situation, as he said at the press conference where he announced that he is not retiring.
(You may be interested: Nairo Quintana is honest before the route: “I’m not very well off”)
The Boyacá cyclist hopes to find a group that gives him the opportunity to stay active, compete, pursue more victories and feel like a winner.
Quintana remains somewhere between rock and hard, as February has already begun and her sporting future is still uncertain after Quintana was disqualified from the last Tour de France for the use of prohibited tramadol in competitions, in violation of the International Cycling Union (UCI) norm. . .
His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), which upheld the UCI’s sanction, did not help him much either, but he insists on continuing the race.
It’s a ‘doubt’ Colombia was banned in Europe after Roger Legeay, president of the Trusted Cycling Movement (MPCC) told EL TIEMPO that Nairo Quintana “did not respect international standards and was therefore condemned by the UCI and approved by the TAS”.
Gianni Bugno A former cyclist, he won the 1990 Giro d’Italia and was world road champion in 1991 and 1992. He is the president of the International Cyclists Association (CPA). Quintana was one of the active professional cyclists in the country who supported the establishment of the Colombian Cyclists Association (Acicol), which is governed by the rules of the International Association.
He even spoke at a virtual meeting between Acicol and the CPA that took place in mid-2022.
EL TIEMPO spoke with Bugno, citing what has happened in recent months with the 2014 Giro d’Italia and 2016 Vuelta a España champions.
What do you think of Nairo Quintana’s theme?
The doors of Nairo were closed in the World Tour teams, the highest category in cycling, and in Proteam in the second place groups. It’s obviously a hot topic right now.
Did Nairo talk to you?
He’s one of the affiliated runners, an active part of it and one of the cyclists in Colombia who is involved with the association, but we haven’t spoken to him.
Would they be in a position to listen to him, to help him?
If he wants, we can sit down and talk. As long as he requests it, we have no problem doing it.
In the case of tramadol, is the treatment applied to the Boyacá cyclist fair?
That substance will be on the World Anti-Doping Agency (AMA) list starting next year, not now. That’s why I think the treatment of Nairo is not fair, but there are some rules as well.
What’s not a doping agent that Quintana can play in their favor?
The problem is not negotiable, you have to follow those rules and he didn’t do it.
You don’t have a team and you’ve been hurt by this, do you see it as a veto?
Tramadol has been an issue, so it has had a few issues.
The MPCC president was categorical when he said he didn’t respect the rules. Do you agree?
It’s a big problem that Nairo has. I think Quintana could integrate the roster of a team that was not part of the MPCC, they prevented him from competing in an affiliated group.
If you talk to UCI or MPCC can you solve this problem somehow?
Yes, you can talk to them, it seems much clearer and more accurate with MPCC. It’s hard to talk to the UCI, they made the decision and that’s it.
What do you think about not withdrawing?
This is good. He is a major runner and with Egan Bernal they are doing well for strong cyclists and Colombian cycling.
LİSANDRO COLOR
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@lisandroabel
Source: Exame
