‘Even as the dog grows old, its sense of smell never fades’ – Nairo Quintana still ambitious for podiums and victories after turning 36

Nairo Quintana came close to his first race victory in four years at the Tour of Oman on Monday, attacking on the final climb of stage 3 only to be caught just 300 metres from the finish line.

The Colombian veteran is at the start of his third season with Movistar and now lies in the top 10 of the GC with the final stage, the 6km, 10% challenge of Green Mountain, lying ahead.

He lies 30 seconds off stage winner and new race leader Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla), while Movistar teammate Diego Pescador is fifth, 17 seconds off the lead.

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Speaking to AS on Sunday, Quintana said that his aim this week is to help his younger teammate while beginning the build-up to his own 2026 goals.

“Try to always be at the front with Diego Pescador to try to win the overall with him,” Quintana said, before adding he’d like to race the Vuelta a España this year.

“I hope to be able to participate in some of them,” he said of the Grand Tours.

“I really like the Vuelta a España; it’s a great stage, and I’ve always done well in the summer, but if I have to go to the Giro d’Italia, that’s fine too.

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“We hope to do well in all three Grand Tours, and in the Tour de France this year, we’ll have the great contribution of Cian Uijtdebroeks, which is a huge motivation to have a teammate up front in the general classification.”

Quintana, who turned 36 last week, said that his own ambition is to make it onto the final podium of a race this year.

His 11th place on stage 3’s race up Eastern Mountain was his best result since sixth place at the Vuelta a Murcia a year ago. He last stood on a podium when he finished second on stage 15 of the 2024 Giro d’Italia.

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“To be on the podium in a race. To win,” Quintana said of his ambition for 2026. “The instinct is there, and even as the dog grows old, its sense of smell never fades.

“I feel young again, thanks to all the teammates who fill me with energy and happiness on the bike, and that happiness would be even greater if I could be on a podium.”

He’s also looking forward to helping younger teammates progress and succeed, too.

“We’ve had great moments, some truly great times, winning races that lasted three weeks, one week… and now we have a very good group that continues to grow, and it remains to be seen how far they can go.

“The team’s objective must be to win big races again. Little by little, our riders are establishing themselves: Iván Romeo, Carlos Canal, and now Diego Pescador taking his first steps… we have to think about the future, but also about the near future.”

As for Quintana’s own future, well, surely retirement is on the cards in the coming years. He’s been a pro racer for a decade and a half, but isn’t confirming a date just yet.

“We keep adding up the years… and the experience is already gained. It’s time to realise that there’s not much time left and start thinking about other things too,” he said.

“We’ll see how the season goes and decide what to do, but for now I feel good, with good sensations, and I hope I’m lucky enough to avoid injuries.”