Nairo Quintana will line up in Mont-Saint-Michel on Sunday for the beginning of his quest to win the overall title at the Tour de France. Under his Movistar team's motto sueño amarillo – yellow dream – the Colombian says he and his team are stronger and better prepared, compared to previous years, to bring home the maillot jaune come July 24 in Paris.
"I'm much more mature and calm, and I've got a strong team by my side, which helps me out wherever they can," Quintana said of his personal and athletic progression since joining Movstar in 2012. "A thousand things have changed, all for the better."
This year, Quintana started the season in Argentina at the Tour de San Luis where he was second in two stages and finished third overall behind his brother Dayer, who won the title. He went on to win two WorldTour stage races at Volta a Catalunya and Tour de Romandie, while also placing third overall at the Vuelta al País Vasco. He sealed his top form ahead of the Tour de France with an overall victory at the Route du Sud this month.
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"We did things right [this year], rode well in all stage races we took part in since January, winning three of them and making the podium in San Luis and País Vasco. We're well-prepared for this challenge [at the Tour de France]," he said in a team-released, pre-Tour video.
In a team press release, Quintana described some of the changes he made to his season preparation, which has always had the Tour de France as his main focus.
"I rested up a bit more than normal in the winter to come into the racing season fresher, and it's been proven during it that we were right. Winning two WorldTour races, that weren't yet on my palmarès, was so exciting, and made me more confident.
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