With a daunting Giro-Tour double attempt on tap, Nairo Quintana has made some changes to his training approach this season. The Movistar rider may have two Grand Tour victories on his career palmares already, but this year, he's aiming to extend his form across two demanding races. It's a tall order, but according to Quintana, his build-up has been just what he'd hoped for ahead of the impending trip to Italy.
"My season so far has been really good. I've claimed two overall victories, with a stage win in each, and all of my teammates' performances as well as mine have been satisfactory. We couldn't have asked for more before the Grand Tours and we hope to continue with that streak in the Giro," Quintana said in an interview published by his Movistar team Thursday.
The 27-year-old Colombian, who will ride the Vuelta Asturias this weekend as his final race appearance before the Giro, has enjoyed excellent results in a somewhat limited racing calendar thus far in 2017, taking GC victories and stages, too, in both the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the WorldTour-level Tirreno-Adriatico.
ADVERTISEMENT
Considering the results, Quintana is content with his 19 days of competition leading into the Giro. "I think it's enough," he said. "I feel I'm where I was supposed to be – because you can never forget that there's the Tour after the Giro. You can't add too many days to your racing schedule, otherwise you'd end up cooked. It's all about keeping the momentum, after some good racing and training. I feel well at the moment."
In any case, the new challenge of targeting two three-week stage races has warranted a change of approach for Quintana in his race preparation. He trained for more than a month at home in Colombia, with his coach joining him there to help get him locked in for the run at the double. As part of that training, Quintana spent time working against the clock, an effort that remains ongoing with the Giro featuring serious chrono mileage this year and the Tour offering a pair of individual time trials as well.
"I took things easier in the offseason, but the first part of the season really got me in good fitness from early. We've tried to just fine-tune that form with some quality work in Colombia, not too much because of the road ahead, with both the Giro and the Tour, will be a long, tough one," he said.
Building a buffer in the mountains
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2pse0qJ
No comments:
Post a Comment