The Nairo Quintana Giro d'Italia Interview

Exclusive interview with Colombian climber Nairo Quintana, who insists he's in good shape to tackle a Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double this year

The last rider to win both the Giro and the Tour in the same year was the late Italian Marco Pantani in 1998, and when two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador tried to achieve the feat two years ago, he managed only fifth in the Tour after winning the Giro.

In 2014 he crashed out of the Vuelta a Espana after winning the Giro. The next year he was second at the Tour and then fourth in the Vuelta and 12 months ago he was third at the Tour before winning the Vuelta. The Giro begins in just over a week in Sardinia before finishing on May 28 in Milan.

You can follow all the action on our Giro d'Italia live stream from Saturday May 6th until Sunday May 28th.

How have your preparations gone so far for the 2017 season?

My season so far has been really good. I’ve claimed two overall victories, with a stage win in each, and all of my team-mates’ performances as well as mine have been satisfactory. We couldn’t have asked for more before the Grand Tours and we hope to continue with that streak in the Giro. The whole team is making history and the achievements we’ve got early this season will be hard to improve in the future for this group.

You've raced 19 days ahead of the Giro, is that enough?

I think it’s enough. I feel I’m where I was supposed to be - because you can never forget that there’s the Tour after the Giro. You can’t add too many days to your racing schedule, otherwise you’d end up cooked. It’s all about keeping the momentum, after some good racing and training. I feel well at the moment.

Has your approach changed?

I took things easier in the off season, but the first part of the season really got me into good fitness from early on. We’ve tried to just fine tune that form with some quality work in Colombia, not too many because the road ahead, with both the Giro and the Tour, will be a long, tough one. 

It was all about the Tour in previous seasons and the Vuelta was only an afterthought, we didn’t base our efforts on saving energy for it. This time, though, we knew we had to aim at both of them, and the preparations have changed. It has also meant I wasn’t racing the exact same courses I did in previous years - the plan was getting to Colombia earlier, rest up, train more and approach the Giro fresher. Happily, I can take advantage from my stay there and have some fresh air before those two Grand Tours.

We also took on some more TT training during my stay in Colombia, as we kept in mind that the Giro has included a longer time trial in this year’s course. We’ve also made some changes on our TT bike setup, and that will require some more late training to get used to it.

Have you done any extra training?

I spent more than one month in Colombia, training at home. My coach also came to spend some time by my side and stay focused specifically on that first goal with the Giro. Those weeks on home soil and the three weeks of racing I will have at the Giro should take me to the Tour in perfect shape.

Your targeting the Giro-Tour double this year in Italy and France, how do you feel about it?

As I’ve always stated since we took that initial choice to ride both, it’s a huge challenge. We had never taken such a gamble before, yet we feel we’re on the right path to success, training adequately to peak at both of them. I’m confident, since I’ve contested the win in two Grand Tours on the same year - I didn’t won both, but I’ve made the podium, come close or even won one of the two. And I feel like I’ve improved my body resistance and become more mature through the last year. That’s why I think it’s time for me to go after it, since my physical conditions are still decent. Some other riders go for it at the end of their careers - I want to have a try now that I’m still young.

I’ve got my mind on both the Giro and the Tour. I remain calm because my training and physical condition have gone as we expected, and I think that, if things go right at the Giro, I’ll tackle the Tour in good condition. We’ll wait until the end of the Giro to decide on how I’ll get prepared for the Tour in June. We’ve got two or three diffferent choice, and when the Giro is over we’ll decide what’s best.

Miguel Indurain and the late Marco Pantani were the last to acheive the Giro-Tour double?

To put some perspective on how impressive their exploits were, you only have to look up how many years have passed since they accomplished it. Everyone has seen how difficult it has become in the last few years, as many tried to go for it and no one succeeded. Indurain and Pantani were two big champions, and cycling was also different. It’s not easy to take on such a challenge, but I feel it’s time, and we must take advantage from my current condition. It obviously makes it even more challenging to follow the footpaths of such legends. I’ve got to known Miguel’s legend after he made part of this team for his entire career, and trying to bring another double to this organization makes me proud and excited. Also, Pantani: he was one of the best climbers the world has ever seen. To me, even making the list of those who aimed, just aimed, at it already means a lot.

What does the Giro mean for you?

It’s one of the most beautiful races I’ve ever ridden. It’s a particular race, a really exciting one, with amazing fans. Plus, I’ve already won it once, so I hold it dear even more. It’s exciting to chase the win in the 100th edition, it makes it even more attractive. Italy has always been generous with me: I’ve always shone here and the ‘tifosi’ really treat me well. They’re one of the main reasons I like to race in Italy.

How about your 2014 Giro participation?

I remember those early days in my first Giro: how the organiser took care of every details, how warm the fans were to all of us. On the sporting side, my most vivid memory is the Val Martello stage, a day where I really struggled a lot and ultimately came out with a great win. It made me so, so happy.

I went through so many troubles during that Giro, with a flu, otitis - what I remember the most about those days was the team’s fighting spirit, always working their hearts out so I could reach the finish line in one piece every single day. Ending up on the highest step of the podium was so special, a spectacular feeling. It really was a victory from the whole team; they were the ones making possible for me to finish on top.

Who do you think are the main favorites?

Aru’s absence obviously means I’ll have one less rival to face, but I deeply regret he won’t be racing. He’s one of those competitors who really make a race great. He’s been fighting a lot for the overall wins in the Giro and that spices up any race.

Looking at the rest, the biggest rival should be Nibali. This is ‘his’ race, he’s at home, it’s the 100th Giro. Surely he’ll reach the start in very good shape, and with his team racing it together for the first time, they’ll surely want to make their mark.

The other main contenders have pretty much equal chances, and we shouldn’t rule out any one. Pinot is a strong climber, one who copes well with the toughest courses, a real fighter. Kruiswijk - well, everyone could see he’d have won the Giro if not for that bad crash. Landa has also come close to winning this race, and the course always suits him well because of the long, steady, tough climbs. The Yates brothers have also been close to podiums in the Tour and many other races. All of them have got more mature year by year, and that will make extremely difficult to beat them.

What about your Movistar team?

Their work is super important. You really can’t win anything without a strong team by your side. Fortunately, I’ve got an excellent group behind. It’s something crucial if you want to aim at an overall success in a Grand Tour. Without a good team you might win a stage or two, but when you’ve got good team-mates to support you, aspirations become really better. It’s because of them that I’ve got so many wins so early in my career. It makes me calm to have such a talented group of guys by my side in the Giro, riders with great stamina and strength, who do well in all terrains and have loads of experience on their shoulders.

What do you think about the route of the 100th Giro?

It’s a very tough course, a demanding one. The last week has an impressive amount of mountains to overcome. Big gaps should be made there - I feel like this year’s course has sought for the strongest climber to win it. I went on a recce of some of the final week’s stages some months ago: I had a look at Piancavallo and Asiago, as well as the previous climb to Monte Grappa, who will be a hell of a climb, but also the Blockhaus and the Foligno TT.

What's you thoughts on the opening stages in Sardinia and the first climb up to Mount Etna?

We’ll have to keep full attention during those three days. We need to keep the team together to avoid losing any time and suffering any crashes. The goal will be to reach the Etna climb unscathed. They will be difficult stages for me, but fortunately, we have some strong people in the team for flat stages, and as long as we keep the front, we shouldn’t find any troubles. The opening weekend should be quite stressful for many in the peloton, since the sprinters don’t have so many chances to win stages.

I haven’t inspected the climb, but looking at the race data it feels like it will be a tough first mountain stage. While my rivals have been racing lately, I’ll be coming there almost immediately after a two-month period away. Because of that, I might be lacking some racing form at the time we face the climb. The only goal that day will be losing no time.

What's your thoughts on the first week and the climb up to Blockhaus?

The four stages between the two first mountain-top finishes should be good for me, helpful so I can continue to build my form up before the Blockhaus, which is a respectable ascent for that early part of the race. It’s a really tough ascent - I rode through the first part of the climb and it should create some significant gaps and establish a hierarchy GC-wise.

What's your thoughts on the second week?

The Foligno TT is a long, hard course. I don’t think it should play much against me, because it has some slopes that could help me limit my losses. I should defend myself well against the specialists. It could also be good for me that the GC contenders are not-so-strong time trialists, though Pinot and Nibali always excel against the clock. We hope not to concede big gaps and tackle the demanding final week in a good position.

After some easier stages we’ll reach the third Saturday and the Oropa stage 14. I know it well, it’s a beautiful ascent, I like it. It’ll be curious to see how we do: it’a short stage and a flat course with such a tough sting at the tail. We should see some decent gaps there, and the approach to the foot of the climb should be ‘interesting’. Let’s hope we can tackle the climb at the front of the bunch and go for what could be a true mountain TT towards the line.

What do you think about the third week, it looks increasingly tough?

Stage 16 to Bormio, starting with Mortirolo, which we know and fear as it’s so demanding, and following on with the Stelvio, through two of its different roads, I feel like this will be the Queen stage in this Giro, a decisive one. It’s going to be special also because of the high altitude, almost reaching 2,800m above sea level - that could take its all on many riders, especially with over 5,400m of climbing. We’ll also have to pay attention at that final descent to the line.

Stage 18 to Ortisei  is a tough one, with lots of vertical gain. the previous stage Canazei’s finish the day prior shouldn’t play a big role in the race.  But stage 18 is ’impegnativa’ (demanding), as they say in Italy. The route doesn’t offer any respite, it’s either climbing or descending all day, with sort of a circuit in the end and a final descent before the Ortisei climb on good roads, but still one to pay attention at. The last 6km uphill will make a lot of pain.

Stage 19 to Piancavallo is a hard final ascent, with difficult slopes. One who still keeps fresh legs at this point of the Giro could make a big difference. The climb is over one hour long, and that could be too much for many on a third week of a stagerace.

Stage 20 to Asiago, we go through the Monte Grappa first - it’s a beast of a climb, exaggeratedly tough. I won a TT up that climb, though it was a different road. The descent to the valley requires much attention before the Foza climb, which is also difficult. We’ll see how the GC stands at that point, but should anyone have the strength and energy to try it if they need so, the route is perfect to go on a long escape. The final route to Asiago is a rolling one - some slopes, nothing really tough.

I feel like there’s a chance the Giro could be decided before the final TT in Milano, because the terrain prior enables a good climber to build a strong margin. Then again, it’s a serious TT, and the man in pink cannot lose focus for a second if he wants to take the trophy home.