Nairo Quintana has done a U-turn on his plans to start La Vuelta despite his positive test results for painkiller Tramadol on the Tour de France. The Colombian cyclist said yesterday he planned to go ahead and ride in Spain, while also denying he ever took Tramadol.
However, in a brief follow-up statement today he has said he will not ride the Vuelta, suggesting he will focus instead on taking a case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He now has 10 days to lodge an appeal.
“I communicate that I will not participate in the Vuelta to assert my reasons before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), I will return to the calendar races at the end of the season,” Quintana said today.
The UCI announced yesterday that samples containing “the presence of tramadol and its two main metabolites” were returned by Quintana on stages 7 and 11 of the Tour – to La Planche des Belles Filles and Col de Granon respectively.
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The Arkéa-Samsic rider has been disqualified from the Tour de France – meaning he loses his results, including 6th overall. However, while the use of Tramadol has been banned since 2019, its use is against the UCI’s medical regulations rather than a doping infringement. It means while the Colombian was retrospectively disqualified from the Tour he does not face a ban from competition.
Quintana said yesterday he had planned to ride La Vuelta - which gets underway tomorrow - saying he was surprised by the UCI’s statement and had no knowledge of ever using Tramadol.
“Today I have learned with surprise of the UCI’s announcement of an infraction for the use of tramadol,” he said in a statement issued via his social media accounts.
“I am totally unaware of the use of this substance, and I deny having used it in my career. With my team of lawyers, we are exhausting all the processes for my defence.
“I also want to confirm that I will stay at the Vuelta, get on my bike and give the best of my ability for my team, for my country and for my supporters.”
