Nairo Quintana retired from the Turkish Tour to recover from the blows after the fall in the second stage

Nairo Quintana, together with his team, Arkea Samsic, made the decision to withdraw from the Turkish Tour despite finishing in fourth place during the third stage of the competition, the so-called queen stage due to the complexity of its mountain passes. The retreat comes after the sharp fall in the second stage at 3.3 kilometers from the finish line.

“Given Nairo's physical condition after his big fall two days ago, it's almost a miracle to see him finish fourth today after a 14-kilometer climb. I was very motivated to give it my all, but in sports there are no miracles. Since his fall, Nairo can no longer express himself fully. He's in so much pain. We have made the decision to leave the Turkish Tour tonight so that he can heal and recover from his injuries,” said Yvon Ledanois, sports director of Arkea Samsic.

In that second stage of the European race, Nairo had a first fall without major consequences, but it was the second that left heavy blows on the left side of his body. Although fortunately the injuries are not to be regretted and he will surely return to competitions in a matter of weeks, the team prefers not to expose the health of the boyacense after the demanding fraction of the race.

On his social networks, Nairo Quintana expressed himself after learning about his retirement, assuring that he gave more than he could despite the pain of his injuries. In addition, he regretted the bad luck of his team in this race.

The fourth stage of the Tour of Turkey 2022 took place over 146.2 kilometers between the towns of Izmir and Manisa with an ascent to a first-class port at the end.

Argentinian Eduardo Sepúlveda (Androni Giocattoli) won the day's victory and, incidentally, the shirt as the new leader of the overall standings. The runner 'Albiceleste' launched a powerful attack with 4.1 km to the finish line and could not be hunted by his pursuers, among whom was Nairo Quintana (Arkéa Samsic).

Although Quintana could not win the stage victory, the ability to stay in the group of favorites, including Australians Patrick Bevin and Vine Jay, and Belgium's Harm Vanhoucke, allowed him to make a 62-place jump in the overall standings. The Boyacense started the day in box 77 and finished in 16th place with 2 minutes and 4 seconds apart from the leader.

Nairo Quintana's next race on the calendar would be the Vuelta a Asturias in Spain, which will run from April 29 to May 1, 2022. This will depend on your recovery and what is planned by your coach and team manager.

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