LIVIGNO – The face isn't the sad one of someone who's missed a stage. Even from behind his glasses, you can tell Nairo Quintana is smiling. Aside from the terror of the steep, narrow, dirt bend—practically a chasm—after the finish, the Colombian's face clears up.
Towel around neck. Several coughs. But also the cheering of his compatriots.The annoying noise of yet another VIP-carrying helicopter and finally the rider of the Movistar He begins to tell his story. The kindness is still the same as it once was.
Nairo rises again
Among the snow-covered meadows of Mottolino To steal a piece of the spotlight from Tadej Pogacar's stunning performance, he was needed. A major champion was needed. There were many pushing Nairo. Seeing him back at the top made many people happy. And the crowd to interview him after the finish line says it all.
«It was a stage that I liked – explains Quintana – It was very difficult, there was a lot of altitude difference. I had been thinking about it since the beginning Tour of Italy. It's a shame that I arrived at the Giro in difficult conditions. But holding on was important. And this stage was exciting, very meaningful for me."
Many things happen in the climber's head. Today, Quintana has returned to savoring, as he himself said, the sensations of the past. And that's probably why he's smiling. "The path," he adds, "is the right one."
Never give up
It's true: Pogacar devoured him. He used to do that, but the years pass, the competition is fiercer than ever, and it's true that Nairo has had problems. But still being here fighting was significant.
«pogacar – Quintana continues – He was very strong. He's solid and can win anything he wants. The car told me that Tadej had gone out and that I needed to speed up. So I did. It was a significant step, but when he caught me, I knew it would be very difficult to hold him off. At that point I managed myself, trying not to go off-revving and to climb steadily towards the end. Pogacar wanted to win… there was little he could do."
During the morning stage departures, there's a lot of conversation. And amidst the various chatter Max Sciandri, his sporting director, He had told us that Quintana would surely come out as the days went by. "A player with his own motor," the Tuscan coach said, "will emerge sooner or later. Even if he's not at his best. The others will decline more." And so it went.
It does not end here
If you then add experience, the game is done. Or at least it would have been done if Pogacar hadn't been there. Quintana was in the breakaway. First with a few teammates, then alone. He contributed to the attack, but always without exposing himself too much.
The Colombian came out when the time was right. When it was time to give it all. When we approached his altitude, that of the Foscagno, a pass over 2.000 meters. And he did it with his typical intercession: long ratio, shoulders fixed forward and no expression. It seemed to be going slowly. It seemed…
«I was confident today – Quintana continues – I pushed hard, but as I said, Pogacar wanted to win. Mount Grappa? Well, I know it, I know it… I have good memories there (he won there at the 2014 Giro, ed.). Let's wait. The Giro isn't over yet, and now I'm more confident."
Understanding between climbers
Just before the staff loaded him onto the cable car to go back down to the valley, he arrives Alberto counter, Eurosport correspondent. He and Nairo speak in Spanish. Alberto asks him more or less the same questions, except that Quintana adds that his improvement is also due to the good atmosphere within the team.There's harmony. We help each other and things are going well. I thank the team for bringing me back to competition.the".
Once upon a time, the two of them would thrash each other to pieces, but now they've gone their separate ways. But once the interview is over, a gesture of understanding erupts between the two champions. An understanding between climbers. Alberto whispers in his ear, probably whispering, "Bravo." Then he leans his shoulder against Nairo's, who returns the gesture and replies, "Es bueno, es bueno..."
And trust, or that “es bueno,” isn’t just a facade or a feeling. In the last 15 kilometers, that is, from when Pogacar started, Nairo was the third fastest. He clocked 2'58”, about ten seconds more than Bardet, who however had not been on the run all day, but had always travelled under cover.
Sciandri is right: the engine, when it's there, comes out sooner or later.
