Nairo Quintana: “I’m more determined”

Among all press conferences that took place at the pre-race headquarters, Nairo Quintana attracted the biggest number of media by far. He’s considered by many observers the strongest rival of defending champion Chris Froome. “Looking at the number and the quality of my competitors, it’s maybe harder than ever to win the Tour but my team is ready, so it’s possible”, the Colombian declared. For the first time, he’s the only captain of the Movistar team. “I’ve trained to be able to respond to all of Froome’s attacks”, he added. “Last year, nobody was able to follow him at La Pierre-Saint-Martin. We’ll see if it’s the same this year. He’s the rider who has won the most since 2011. It looked like his weak point was the last week but he said he has prepared differently for the last so maybe he doesn’t have any weak point any more. As for myself, I’m not sure if I’m stronger than last year but I’m more relaxed and more determined.”