While Nairo Quintana announced his departure from Arkéa-Samsic at the end of the season, his contract extension, announced in August, was never signed.
Nairo Quintana and Arkéa-Samsic, so it’s over. In the night from Friday to Saturday, the Colombian, disqualified from the last Tour de France after a positive tramadol test, announced the end of his adventure with the Breton formation, at the end of the current season. Information confirmed by his team in stride.
“Nairo Quintana has announced the end of its collaboration with the Arkéa-Samsic team, which began in 2020.. The Arkéa-Samsic formation confirms the non-renewal of Nairo Quintana’s contract within its workforce in 2023 “, wrote Emmanuel Hubert, the manager, in the press release from the Breton team.
Hubert refers to the contract extension of the Colombian until 2025announced on August 16. But L’Equipe reveals that the contract was never signed: it was simply an agreement in principle, which allowed the two parties to make this announcement, a few days before the start of the Vuelta. But it was the next day that the UCI communicated Quintana’s positive test for tramadol in the Tour de France.
Quintana in another French team?
Since then, the Colombian has withdrawn from the Vuelta, and has not raced again. He is not suspended by the UCI, because the taking of tramadol, although prohibited in the race, does not constitute a violation of the anti-doping regulations. But its use is prohibited by the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), to which Arkéa-Samsic belongs.
Waiting, this positive test puts an end to the collaboration between the two parties, in a precipitous way. Quintana leaves with his head held high: “I was able to bring my experience to bring back UCI points and thus access the World Tour, as we had set when I signed. » But this remains a big blow for Arkéa-Samsic, since it will be very difficult, at this stage of the transfer window, to find a replacement leader for next season. Conversely, it will be easier for Quintana to find a new base. “From sources close to the Colombian, a French formation of the World Tour would have already made him a proposal”, indicates The Team.