Niaro Quintana, snowman.

//Niaro Quintana, snowman.

Niaro Quintana, snowman.



The snow falls, the rain pelts, the winds howl, Nairo Quitana rolls to victory.

The Colombian not only sealed overall victory in Tirreno Adriatico, but also cemented his reputation — built during the treacherous conditions of last year’s Giro d’Italia — as a hard-man stage racer.

While ematiated skeletons like Sky’s Chris Froome seem to need good weather to ride at a high level, Quintana proved once again that, Extreme Weather Protocol or not, he is tenacious enough to win in the worse weather. 

It’s a trait he shares with defending Tour de France champion Vincenso Nibali — who won the Giro two years ago in apocalyptic conditions. Last year he used his skill in the rain and over the cobblestones as the launch pad for his Tour victory while Froome abandoned the Tour before the stage was over.

If memory serves, it was Nibali who beat Sky in Tirreno-Adriatico a few years back when Mother Nature played havoc with their best laid plans. Marginal gains go out the bus window then your best rider is afraid to chase down a wet mountain road. 

Alberto Contador has also shown that he can cope with miserable conditions when he has to win a race. El Pistolero always has a few bullets, rain or shine.

However the sight of Quitana rocketing away from the rest of his rivals on the way up to Terminillo would scare   anybody, even Froome, Nibali and Contador. Like Lance Armstrong in his EPO heyday, Quintana seems to almost relish aweful conditions, knowing  the rest of the peloton is nervous and unwilling to take the risks to win big.

We always hope for a few rainy, cold days in the Alps of the Pyrenees during the Tour to separate the timid skeletons from the agressive skeletons. Chris Froome’s odds of winning another Tour de France will be determined by his legs and Mother Nature’s mood.

Critics are still debating whether Quitnana should have kept his time gains on that disputed Giro stage run in terrible conditions. What isn’t up for debate is that Quitana will use any means nessessary to win a stage race and the worse the weather, the better his chances.

By |2019-02-03T15:52:00-08:00March 17th, 2015|Uncategorized|2 Comments

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  1. The SuperStorm March 18, 2015 at 4:39 pm - Reply

    Matty, you know I like this kid a lot. Well done chico. Well done indeed.
    Al Rohas reminds me of a time lost in cycling. He lets his legs do the talking. He’s humble, kind, never a disparaging word and always is quick with good interviews. If he’s clean and cycling for real, he is the one to watch. If this truly is Alberto VO5’s last year, he had his ass handed to him on the last climb in Stage 6 at Tirreno. Makes me wonder if he’s past his prime now. Froomy might be able to stay with Al but, if Al shows up at Le Grande Shindig in top form, its his to lose.

    Those quiet ones are the ones to watch closely.
    And as Obi Wan Kenobi told us; “There is another.”
    JoDo

    • walshworld March 19, 2015 at 12:30 pm - Reply

      Hard not to like Quintana given his humble and difficult circumstances growing up. Any grand tour without a long time trial is his for the taking right now. I think Froome and Contador are more than capable of beating him — although Contador will be dead from the Giro. Matt

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