Nairo Quintana (Movistar) brought the curtain down on the first part of his season by landing overall victory at the Tour de Romandie on Sunday, laying down an important marker for the Tour de France in the process.
In recent years, the Tour de Romandie has often proved a reliable indicator of pre-Tour form – Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome all won the Swiss race before their first Tour de France wins – though Quintana warned that July is still some way off.
Having won the Volta a Catalunya and placed second at the Tour of the Basque Country already this year, however, it is clear that Quintana has enjoyed the best Spring of any of the top Tour contenders. His Movistar team, too, was particularly strong at the Tour de Romandie, with Ion Izagirre placing third overall.
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“You ask me about the myth about winning Romandie and going on to win the Tour – I hope that legend is true, so we can make the 'Yellow Dream' become real,” Quintana said after Sunday’s final stage.
“The Romandie win gives us confidence and calmness, and the whole group is strong, so no matter who we bring to the Tour, we'll be well protected. However, things can change before July and our rivals will certainly bring powerful squads to the Tour. We will be just one team among many contenders.”
Quintana began Sunday’s final stage with a 19-second buffer over Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) in the overall standings, having repelled the Frenchman’s determined volley of attacks on the road to Villars the previous day. Despite the wet conditions for the final leg to Geneva, Quintana finished safely in the main peloton to secure overall victory.
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