Nairo Quintana devastated not to be given the chance to end his career with Movistar at the Vuelta a España

Nairo Quintana is absolutely gutted that he wasn’t included in Movistar’s eight-man roster for the Vuelta a España. The 36-year-old rider has already announced that he will retire as a pro after 2026, so he would have loved to ride the Vuelta as the final highlight of his long career.

Quintana had been hinting all year that he might compete in the Vuelta a España, especially after he skipped the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France was essentially off the table for him at Movistar. The Colombian climber competed in a number of one-week stage races.

Apparently, his performance there wasn't strong enough to convince his team to select him for the Vuelta. Quintana's best result in the first half of 2026 was a seventh-place finish in the Tour of Oman in February, thanks to a sixth-place finish on the final stage at Green Mountain.

After Oman, he competed in the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, and the Tour of Catalonia, but in all three WorldTour races, he remained somewhat anonymous. That wasn’t the case in the Tour of Asturias, where he clinched the overall title thanks to a stage win on Day 2.

It turned out not to be enough to make the Giro roster, so the focus shifted to the Vuelta. After Asturias, Quintana also rode the Tour de Romandie and was then in pretty good form at the Tour de Suisse, finishing tenth in the final mountain stage.

After a new training block, he recently rode the Clásica de San Sebastián and the Tour of Burgos, but Movistar has chosen Cian Uijtdebroeks, Enric Mas, and Iván Romeo as its team leaders for the Vuelta. “I understand the decisions and will focus on other goals for the remainder of the season,” Quintana said respectfully on Caracol Radio.

Still, missing the Vuelta hurts. “Ten years ago, I won the Tour of Spain, and I would have liked to have retired from cycling there.” We’ll likely see the climber again at the World Championships in September, in Montréal, Canada. “I’m happy about that.”