MADRID, 18 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana (Arkéa Samsic) announced this Thursday, hours after confirming that he would be in La Vuelta 22, that he will not participate in the Spanish round to defend himself in the Sports Arbitration Court (TAD) of the sanction imposed against him for the UCI for positive in tramadol in the last Tour de France.
“I announce that I will not participate in La Vuelta to assert my reasons before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD). I will return to the race calendar at the end of the season,” Quintana said in a statement.
Hours before, Quintana himself confirmed that he would defend himself and appeal the sanction, which did not prevent him from continuing to participate in other tests, in the TAD but he assured that he would be in La Vuelta, which starts this Friday from Utrecht (The Netherlands).
The UCI disqualified the Colombian from the last Tour de France, in which he was sixth overall and managed to make three ‘Top 10’ in two stages, including a second place in stage 11 with a finish at the Col du Granon.
“Quintana has been sanctioned for violating the prohibition on the use of tramadol in competition established in the UCI Medical Regulations. Analysis of two dried blood samples provided by the cyclist on July 8 and 13 during the 2022 Tour de France revealed the presence of tramadol and its two main metabolites,” the UCI announced on Thursday.
