When Movistar invited us to their Nairo Quintana press conference, the first thing we said was, “Oh, he’s announcing his retirement.” The second thing we said was, “Or is he already retired?”
We were going to share the news in advance on Cyclry like we’re some ‘in the know’ football cunts, but we thought everybody would either be in the ‘don’t care’ or ‘thought he was already retired’ categories.
Sorry, are we making this about us again?
We can confirm that we were correct. At a press conference in Girona (at the Hotel S’Agaró, if you really need to visualize the location), Nairo Quintana announced that he will retire from professional cycling at the end of the 2026 season.
The choice of venue was intentional. Well, of course it was. But they chose this place because it’s… Well, not sure. Something to do with Quintana racing this year’s Volta a Catalunya, or maybe to do with the fact that he won it in 2016.
Anyway, here’s what he told us, Marca, and everyone else who went along or watched the live stream:
Today I want to speak to you from the deepest part of my story. From that child who grew up among the mountains, in Boyacá. Step by step, quietly, I built a path in Colombia, with teams that gave me the opportunity to learn, to fall, and to get back up. That’s when I understood this wasn’t just a sport… it was a way of life. And in 2012, an opportunity came that changed everything: Movistar Team believed in me. It wasn’t just a signing—it was the beginning of a dream bigger than I had ever imagined. Today I look back… and I don’t just see results. I see people. I want to thank every teammate, every staff member, every person who stood behind a race, a recovery, a difficult moment. Today I’m not speaking about a farewell. I’m speaking about a beginning. A new beginning where I want to keep building, create businesses, open opportunities, support both competitive and recreational sport, and give back to people—especially the younger generation—everything that cycling has given me.
Nairo Quintana
We didn’t transcribe that, we took it from what they sent us later. We have to ask: did AI write that? Sounds like it.
51 Victories and a Massive Palmarès
If this article has been glib so far, we should correct the record. Nairo Quintana’s palmarès includes 51 victories, and they’re good ones. Remember him winning both the Giro d’Italia (2014) and the Vuelta a España (2016)? And finishing on the podium of the Tour de France three times: 2nd in 2013 (on his debut), 2nd in 2015, and 3rd in 2016.
His career was definitely in the Grand Tours, with eight stage victories, and a second place in the Giro in 2017 to add to all the stuff in the paragraph above. But he also won the overall in Tirreno-Adriático (2015 and 2017), Itzulia Basque Country (2013), and the Tour de Romandie (2016).
One of the most important climbers of his generation, and a Colombian icon. Take care, Nairo. Grab a win on your way out, for old time’s sake.
The PR Presser
If you want to watch the press conference for some peculiar reason, you can. Here’s the link: Nairo Quintana Retirement Press Conference. It’s not a Cyclry TV link and we don’t get anything for sharing it, other than the hope that they’ll keep inviting us to attend these press conferences.