:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/QSHX46WDZRHQXNO733EGSVUYRM.jpg "The absence of Nairo Quintana is felt: a year ago he had already won two titles and two stage victories")
He Colombian cycling got off on the right foot 2023 and several runners have been victorious in the various competitions in which they have participated. Although it is a good start to the year, the country is feeling the absence of one of the most important runners today, Nairobi Quintana. The man from Cómbita has only been able to take part in one official race so far this year and he still hasn’t found a team to compete at the top level.
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Several Colombian cyclists have distinguished themselves in the various official competitions
Nairo Quintana, because of what happened in the Tour de Francia 2022 and the case of the use of tramadol, he was unable to join any team and his only official participation in the last eight months has been in the National Road Championships, during which he obtained a bronze medal in the big elite category funds. A very different and unexpected situation, since since becoming a professional rider he has never been without a team.
In 2022, the situation was different for Nairo Quintana, as at the start of the year he established himself as one of the strongest riders of the season. On February 13, he won the last stage of the Tour of Provence and he was crowned champion, Seven days later he did the same in the third fraction of the Tour de los Alpes Maritimes and Varand was crowned champion of the race.
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In 2023, the Tour de la Provence was canceled by the UCI for non-payment of the last editions, the level of revenue from the race not being able to be justified to cover the expenses. The Tour of the Alpes-Maritimes and VAR of the current campaign took place from February 17 to 19, the champion was the Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin, while the best Colombian in the general classification was Esteban Chavez of the EF Education Easy-Post, which was in box 28.
The start of the 2022 season had an inspired Nairo Quintana who added four wins, Sergio Higuita was also one of the highlights by getting two wins, as was Fernando Gaviria who did the same in the Tour of Oman. To this is added the good participation of the Colombians in the Vuelta al Táchira en Bicicleta, which won three victories. In total, the country added 12 wins in the first two months of the year at this time.,
Colombian Einer Rubio won the queen stage of the UAE Tour
The Movistar team rider attacked on the climb, withstood the pressure of the favorite peloton and took the victory
– January 16 – johan antonio colon | Stage 1 of the Táchira Cycling Tour
– January 19 – Marco Tulio Suesca | Stage 4 of the Táchira Cycling Tour
– January 23 – Didier Merchan | Stage 8 of the Táchira Cycling Tour
– February 2 – Santiago Buitrago | Step 2 of the Saudi tour
– February 10 – Fernando Gaviria | Stage 1 of the Tour of Oman
– February 13 – Nairobi Quintana | Stage 3 of the Tour of Provence
– February 13 – Nairobi Quintana | Champion of the Tour of Provence
– February 15 – Fernando Gaviria | Stage 6 of the Tour of Oman
– February 20 – Nairobi Quintana | Stage 3 of the Tour of the Alpes-Maritimes and the VAR
– February 20 – Nairobi Quintana | Champion of the Tour of the Alpes-Maritimes and of the VAR
– February 20 – Sergio Higuita | Stage 5 of the Tour of the Algarve
– February 22 – Jonathan Restrepo | Stage 3 of the Tour of Rwanda
Riders like Miguel Ángel López from Team Medellín, Fernando Gaviria from Team Movistar, Daniel Felipe Martínez from INEOS Grenadiers, among others, added victories to the country and excelled in the first competitions of the year. In the first two months of 2023, the country added nine wins in total and it is Superman López, who has been on the podium most often at the start of the season.
– January 1, 2023 – Jonathan Guatibonza | Stage 3 of the Tour de Táchira (Venezuela)
– January 25, 2023 – Fernando Gaviria | Stage 4 of the Tour of San Juan (Argentina)
– January 27, 2023 – Miguel Angel Lopez | Stage 5 of the Tour of San Juan (Argentina)
– January 29, 2023 – Miguel Angel Lopez | Champion of the Tour of San Juan (Argentina)
– February 2, 2023 – Miguel Angel Lopez | National Time Trial Champion (Colombia)
– February 5, 2023 – Esteban Chavez | National Road Champion (Colombia)
– February 19, 2023 – Daniel Felipe Martinez | Tour of the Algarve Champion (Spain)
– February 22, 2023 – A Rubio | Stage 3 of the UAE Tour (United Arab Emirates)
– February 23, 2023 – Juan Sebastian Molano | Stage 4 of the UAE Tour (United Arab Emirates)