Feb 01, 2016 Colombian pro rider Nairo Quintana recently earmarked Chris Froome as his major contender ahead of the Tour de France.
Speaking at a presentation ceremony at the Telefonica headquarters in Madrid, Quintana said:
“Mainly it’s Froome but we have to see how Astana perform because they are also a team of fighters and very bold, they like to fight and I think they can be an important rival,”
Also speaking at the presentation, Alejandro Valverde, who will skip the Vuelta de Espana this year and debut in the Giro d’Italia said:
“The Giro is a big change for me. With the Giro my calendar completely changes because I would normally be resting at this time, but this time I will be racing the Giro d’Italia. There are also the Games, which is why I want to perform well in the Tour, help Nairo as much as possible and arrive at the Games as rested as possible,”
Team Movistar’s Alex Dowsett, who also has his eyes set on the Olympics and will be competing with Froome, amongst others, for the British team’s single time trial spot said:
“At the moment I am targeting the Giro d’Italia because I think Olympic selection is going to be quite difficult for me, especially with how hilly it is. but if I can show well in the time trials in the Giro then maybe that can set me up well for Olympic selection. At the moment that’s what the team and I are thinking,”