“There’s still a long way to go in this Tour and we’ll give everything to win” Nairo Quintana

Nairo Quintana, who sits in second place on GC in the Tour, has discussed his performance so far in the race and his ambitions for the remaining few days. At a rest day press conference, he said:

“Finishing runner-up wouldn’t be a failure for me, rather a huge honour, but there’s still a long way to go in this Tour and we’ll give everything to win. It still hurts to have lost 1’30” into the second day of racing due to circumstances not related to physical performance, though it’s true that Froome was stronger than me at Plateau de Beille, as much as I was in front of the rest.”

“Strategy will be crucial; we trust the whole team, including ‘Bala’, who is always there, very consistent, an amazing team-mate, and my directors, who always help us out a lot.”

His team mate, Alejandro Valverde outlined that he always “kept clear in mind what I was into before coming to this race. Finishing in 2nd and 3rd would be phenomenal, but all of my team-mates and myself will give all that’s left inside us for the win. For me, it’s evident that Nairo remains incredibly strong and ready to win.”

“In every race I shared with him from the start of the season, I always saw him doing well, but for this third week in the Tour, he’s got special motivation, a strong will to do great things and good physical shape to try and gain back that lost time.”

“It’ll be difficult, since Froome never showed to be in crisis and didn’t suffer into descents – he’s strong and has proven he can stand much pressure – but I see Nairo ready, and wherever it’s possible, we’ll try to attack.”