One of professional cycling’s most beloved and accomplished riders has confirmed what many feared: Nairo Quintana will retire from the sport at the end of the 2026 season.
The Colombian climber made the announcement at a press conference ahead of the Volta a Catalunya, held in Barcelona on Sunday March 22. Speaking with evident emotion, the 36-year-old Movistar rider described his final season as “the last dance” — a farewell lap of the sport he has graced for nearly two decades.
The Announcement in Quintana’s Own Words
“It is all over,” Quintana told the assembled press in a statement that drew emotional reactions from those present. He confirmed that the 2026 Vuelta a España will be his final race, giving him one last opportunity to compete on the Spanish roads where he claimed one of his greatest victories a decade ago.
The Movistar rider described his remaining races in 2026 as a celebration — each one a chance to experience the atmosphere, the fans, and the sport he loves for the last time. “Each race will feel like that great party,” he said.
A Grand Tour Career Unlike Any Other
Quintana’s Grand Tour record stands alongside the greatest climbers in cycling history. He won the Giro d’Italia in 2014, became Vuelta a España champion in 2016, and reached the podium at the Tour de France three times — finishing second in 2013 and 2015, and third in 2016.
His climbs against Chris Froome during the dominant Sky era are among the most compelling chapters in modern Tour de France history. Quintana’s ability to attack on the steepest gradients, his compact climbing style, and his capacity to suffer in the high mountains made him the most dangerous opponent Froome faced during his peak years.
The Trampolín de Campesinos
Quintana grew up in Cómbita, Boyacá — a small farming community in the Colombian highlands — and his rise to become one of the world’s best cyclists represents one of the sport’s great stories of determination and natural talent overcoming circumstance.
He became a symbol of Colombian cycling’s resurgence, part of a golden generation alongside Rigoberto Urán and Egan Bernal that transformed the nation’s standing in the professional peloton. His success opened doors and inspired a generation of young Colombian riders who are now prominent forces in the WorldTour.
The Salbutamol Controversy and Its Shadow
Quintana’s legacy carries a complicated footnote. In 2022, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a disqualification of his 2022 Tour de France results following a salbutamol case — a decision that cast a shadow over the final chapter of his career, even as the circumstances remained contested by the rider and his team.
For many fans, the image that endures is of Quintana attacking on the Alpe d’Huez, or cresting the Port de Balès with a lead that seemed insurmountable — the pure, extraordinary climber who gave everything to the sport.
What Comes Next
After the Vuelta a España, Quintana has indicated plans to focus on work to support cycling development in Colombia — a cause that has always been close to his heart. His retirement marks the end of an era not just for Movistar, but for Grand Tour racing as a whole.
Professional cycling will be poorer for his absence. But over a 17-year career, Nairo Quintana gave the sport memories that will endure for generations.
