Nairo Quintana has revealed that 2026 will be his final year of professional cycling, after a 16 year-long career.
The Movistar rider announced the news in a press conference ahead of the Volta a Catalunya on Sunday evening, the same race where the Colombian first showcased his dominance in the mountains in 2011.
“I want to say: it is over,” the 36-year-old said in Barcelona. “It is all over. And I am going home to my family."
"I am that boy who grew up amidst the mountains, in a place where life was anything but passive,” he continued. “I was just a kid who didn't have much, but I possessed something far stronger: the burning desire to break free.
"I learned that this wasn't just a sport. It was a way of life; lived step by step, without rushing the process. Then, in 2012, a new chapter began. From that point on - race after race, victory after victory - my triumphs were not mine alone; they belonged to an entire continent. They belonged to the Colombian land, to every life, every climb, and every finish line crossed.”
Quintana’s breakthrough performance came at the Volta a Catalunya, as the rider took the mountains title with the Colombia es Pasión squad. His form continued with a Queen Stage win at the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2012 in a race that marked the Movistar rider as a serious challenger to the dominance of Team Sky.
A stage win at the 2013 Tour de France only confirmed his talent, triumphing at Le Semnoz as he finished second overall. A year later, Quintana won the Giro d’Italia, a Grand Tour performance matched by an overall win at the Vuelta a España in 2016.
After a flurry of victories with the French team Arkéa-Samsic, he tested positive for Tramadol at the 2022 Tour, and was disqualified post-race. A year-long hiatus from cycling came as a result.
His return to racing came in 2023, with his old team Movistar. This time Quintana was a team rider, shining briefly in the Dolomites in the 2024 Giro d’Italia, only to be overtaken by Tadej Pogačar just before the line.
"These were moments of constant growth,” Quintana said of his career, “a journey that allowed me to mature both as an athlete and as a human being. It was a wonderful chapter, filled with learning, respect, and immense gratitude."
Not only is Quintana one of Colombia’s greatest riders, he has campaigned for human rights alongside his career as a cyclist, work he will continue into his retirement.
"I am not speaking of a farewell; I am speaking of a beginning," Quintana said, "a new beginning where I want to continue building, creating businesses, opening up opportunities, supporting both competitive and recreational sports, and giving back to the people - especially the youth - everything that cycling has given me."
This year’s Vuelta a España will be the Colombian's final race.
