Two big (former) stars already ruled out for Vuelta a España participation as Movistar hesitates

Quintana is the former winner of the Giro d'Italia (2014) and the Vuelta a España (2016) and a stage racer who finished on the podium no fewer than six times in nine Grand Tours between 2013 and 2017. However, in 2025, that great climber will be a thing of the past, even though Movistar had plans to get him to the start of the Vuelta a España after an anonymous Giro in May.

The Vuelta was the race where he showed his class for the last time in 2019, with a stage win and fourth place in the overall classification, especially after his sixth place in the 2022 Tour was ruled out due to Tramadol use. However, Unzué had to cross Quintana off the list after the Tour of Burgos. “Nairo was a doubtful case, but after his crash in Burgos, he now needs to focus on his recovery.”

Gaviria's name was also crossed out in red, and for the 30-year-old Colombian, it's not even because of a crash or injury. Gaviria has simply been left out of the Vuelta, just as he was left out of the Giro and the Tour in 2025. This means that we will not see him in a Grand Tour for the first time in eight years.

This is remarkable because Gaviria earned his stripes in his career mainly in the Grand Tours. In 2017, he made his debut in the Giro with four stage wins and the points jersey. In 2018, he won two stages in the Tour and briefly wore the yellow jersey. In 2019, he added another stage win in the Giro. After that, things went downhill, with crashes and a lack of form. He only competed in the Vuelta in 2019.

For Gaviria, the season is coming to an end. He will ride the Cyclassics Hamburg on Sunday, but even if he wins there, he will not be riding the Vuelta. “In the Vuelta, there are practically only three or four sprint opportunities. In fact, I don't think there will be many sprinters in the Tour of Spain with so many mountains. That's the main reason for not taking him.”

So who will be riding for Movistar in the Vuelta? Unzué has already set a deadline: ‘We will make our final decision on Tuesday. Eighty percent of our team is set, but there are still a few riders we need to decide on. Six riders are already certain, but we will finalize everything this weekend.’