Former Tour de France runner-up and multiple Grand Tour champion Nairo Quintana announces retirement for end of season

Nairo Quintana, the 36-year-old Colombian climber and former Grand Tour winner, has announced his retirement from professional cycling at the end of the current season. The Movistar rider, who secured victories at the 2014 Giro d'Italia and the 2016 Vuelta a España, confirmed his decision after 16 seasons in the peloton, concluding a career that also saw him twice finish second overall at the Tour de France.

Quintana's departure marks the end of an era for a rider who, for a time, was seen as the primary challenger to Chris Froome's dominance in Grand Tours. His career, however, was also punctuated by controversies, most notably his disqualification from the 2022 Tour de France for a tramadol positive, which effectively ended his WorldTour career and left him without a team for the 2023 season. His return to Movistar this year was a final, albeit modest, curtain call.

While his final seasons were a shadow of his peak, Quintana’s retirement closes the book on one of Colombia's most celebrated cycling exports. Perhaps now, the peloton can finally move on from the tramadol saga.