Nairo and the Tour de France: 2 subtitles, an illusion that never was

Nairo Quintana announced his retirement from professional cycling, the Colombian’s exploits will forever remain in the memory of fans, not only for his titles in grand tours, but for his character and competitiveness on the bike. However, the winningest cyclist in the history of Colombia had a frustration, there is a race that, despite having seen him shine, resisted seeing him at the top of the podium: the Tour de France. Paradoxically, it was there where he built some of the most memorable pages of his career.

In 2013 Nairo not only got on the podium as runner-up, but also left an indelible mark: he won a stage, conquered the mountain classification and also took the white jersey for the best young person. It all started with that eternal rivalry he had with the British Chris Froome.

Two years later, in 2015, Quintana again came close to glory in the Tour de France. He finished in second place again, dominant again among the youngest in the peloton, taking the white jersey for the second time. Again behind Froome.

In 2016, the man from Boyacá was once again among the best and completed his trilogy on the Tour podium with a third place. Froome and Romain Bardet surpassed him.

Nairo also left his mark with two more stages won in the Tour de France, one in 2018 and another in 2019.

Nairo is, along with Lucho Herrera and Santiago Botero, all with 3, the Colombian with the most stage victories in the Tour de France.