Following the announcement this week from Nairo Quintana that he will retire at the end of the season, the peloton is set to lose one of its definitive stars of the last generation. 

At his peak Quintana was the best pure climber in the world, capable of soaring up mountains at an unparalleled pace with his distinctive steady diesel engine. He was the man who could challenge the Team Sky juggernaut lead by Chris Froome during the 2010s, even if he never quite did manage to defeat him for the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. 

And Quintana was also the man who led a new generation of Colombian riders, a key part in ushering the wider trend of internationalism in cycling that now sees stars come from places all around the world, everywhere from Mexico to Eritrea. 

There were plenty of ups and downs along the way, with his peak coming early, and frustrations and controversies aplenty in the years preceding his retirement. We’ve traced his career via ten of its most significant days. 

CRITÉRIUM DU DAUPHINÉ 2012, STAGE SIX

While Quintana had already shown glimpses of his talent before the 2012 Dauphiné, notably winning the Tour de l’Avenir two years earlier, his stage victory in Morzine at the queen stage was the first real confirmation of his awesome talent. What made the win so impressive was that it did not come via the headstart of an early breakaway, but from an attack on the mighty Col de Joux Plane from a group of favourites, featuring an elite field of some of the world's very best stage racers including Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans and Chris Froome. This was when the world really stood up and took notice of what this 22-year-old was capable of. 

Quintana's breakthrough ride at the 2012 Dauphiné (Image: Tim de Waele / Corbis via Getty Images)

TOUR DE FRANCE 2013, STAGE 20

Capping off what was the best Tour de France debut in a generation, Nairo Quintana soured to a stage win on the penultimate day atop Annecy-Semnoz. He went clear with Joaquim Rodríguez and Chris Froome in the yellow jersey, and, for only a second time at the race, succeeding in dropping the latter, a message that he had the legs to challenge Froome in years to come. Not only did the result seal both the white and polka-dot jersey for Quintana, it also saw him climb from third to second overall, and announce him as a fully-fledged Grand Tour contender at the tender age of just 23. 

Quintana in the white jersey at the finish of stage 20 of the 2013 Tour de France, where he climbed onto the podium with Joaquim Rodríguez and Chris Froome, in the yellow jersey here (Image: Simon Wilkinson / SWpix.com)

GIRO D’ITALIA 2014, STAGE 16

Though most celebrated for his climbing prowess, there were many more strings to Nairo Quintana’s bow, as demonstrated on a pivotal snowy day at the 2014 Giro d’Italia. Here, it was his descending skills and resilience amid tough conditions that formed the foundations for his stage victory as he went clear on the descent of the famous Stelvio, albeit in controversial circumstances as race leader Rigoberto Uran was under the impression that the race had been neutralised. The huge 4:11 Quintana gained over Uran that day was instrumental to sealing what was his first ever Grand Tour title. 

Quintana's exploits on stage 16 of the 2014 Giro d'Italia gained him the Maglia Rosa (Image: Kei Tsuji / Getty Images)

TOUR DE FRANCE 2015, STAGE 20

The penultimate stage of the 2015 Tour de France was the closest Quintana would ever come to overcoming his great rival Chris Froome to win the Tour de France. Having skipped the previous year’s edition in order to focus on the Giro, Quintana returned to the Tour as the man most likely to challenge him for yellow, and, despite losing time in crosswinds during the first week, climbed up to second overall by the final week. When he spectacularly dropped him halfway up Alpe d’Huez, suddenly it seemed as though he might be destined for glory on what was the final climb of the race. Ultimately, the Team Sky machine proved too robust, as Froome’s teammate Wout Poels paced him all the way up to limit his losses to 1:26 of the 2:38 he could afford to lose, but it was nevertheless a memorable endeavour. 

His 2015 second-place finish , 1:12 behind Chris Froome, was the closest Quintana came to winning the Tour de France (Image: Tim de Waele / Corbis via Getty Images)

VUELTA A ESPAÑA 2016, STAGE 15 

Chis Froome would always be Nairo Quintana’s bogeyman, but this stage to Formigal during the second week of the 2016 Vuelta was the day he landed a definitive blow over his rival. Going into the Vuelta after yet another defeat to Froome at the Tour de France earlier that year, and holding only a slender lead likely to be obliterated in the coming time trial, Quintana must have been running out of ideas as to how to ever get the better of him.

But here he pulled off a spectacular manoeuvre with Alberto Contador, catching Froome by surprise by attacking right at the start, and gaining 2:37 over him after a day-long chase to lay the foundations for overall victory. Still aged just 26, this second career Grand Tour title felt like it might have been a turning point in Quintana’s career and a segway to future glories; but, ultimately, would be the last he’d ever win. 

Quintana's 2016 Vuelta triumph was his second and final Grand Tour title (Image: Tim De Waele / Getty Images)

GIRO D’ITALIA 2017, STAGE 20

Time trials were always Quintana’s great weakness. While he was competent against the clock, especially for a rider so small in stature, he could never compete with the more complete Grand Tour riders, and would inevitably lose crucial time to them.

It was this discipline that was his undoing at the 2017 Giro d’Italia. Going into the race off the back of an imperious overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico, Quintana was the favourite for overall victory, and did indeed excel in the mountains with a dominant win on the Blockhaus summit finish. But the 53 second lead he held over Tom Dumoulin going into the final stage time trial in Milan was not enough against a man who would become World Champion in the discipline later that year, meaning for the third (and final) time in his career Quintana had to settle for a Grand Tour runner-up finish against an elite time triallist. 

(Image: Luk Benies / AFP via Getty Images)

TOUR DE FRANCE 2018, STAGE 11

Quintana had already endured problems before the first summit finish at the 2018 Tour de France, losing time as a result of puncture and a team time trial, but it came as a shock to see him flounder behind Geraint Thomas, Froome, Dumoulin and other GC candidates in his favoured terrain of the mountains. This was a significant day in his career, as it contrasted with previous struggles at Grand Tour stages that could always put down to a mitigating reason, be it illness, fatigue from having raced too much - this time, he simply didn’t have the legs. He bounced back in the final week to claim victory atop the high-altitude Col du Portet, but finished down in tenth on GC, beginning a new pattern in his career in which he would still show flashes of greatness, but lacked the consistency to challenge for overall victories. 

Quintana at the 2018 Tour de France with future winner and countryman Egan Bernal (Image: Simon Wilkinson / SWpix.com)

PARIS-NICE 2020, STAGE SEVEN

It was always unclear whether the Movistar team Quintana spent the majority of his career at were a help or a hindrance, on one hand boasting great strength and support in the mountain, but on the other hand marred by internal battles and incoherent tactics. Either way, at the age of 29 Quintana felt he needed a move to boost his ailing career, and chose the relatively small French team Arkéa Samsic for the 2020 season. Whereas his seniority was often questioned at Movistar, especially by Spanish favourite Alejandro Valverde, at Arkéa Samsic he was the undisputed star man. He certainly enjoyed life there to begin with, starting with a flurry of victories that culminated in a summit finish success atop Valdeblore La Colmiane on the climactic stage of Paris-Nice, but then Covid shut down the peloton and he never quite looked the same upon the return, and never again won a race at WorldTour level. 

On his way to winning stage seven of the 2020 Paris-Nice (Image: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)

TOUR DE FRANCE 2022, TRAMADOL POSITIVE

After a disappointing 2021, Quintana made a comeback the following season, starting the season in prolific form by winning both the Tour de la Provence and Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var back-to-back in February, then returning to the Tour de France to climb with the very best. He sealed sixth overall, his highest at the Tour since 2016. However, weeks later on August 17th, that result was annulled for returning a positive dope test for tramadol, tarnishing his legacy and forcing him to leave Arkéa Samsic. 

Quintana on stage 11 of the 2022 Tour de France (Image: Zac Williams / SWpix.com)

GIRO D’ITALIA 2024, STAGE 15

Despite being left without a team after that doping positive, Quintana wasn’t done with racing yet, and in 2024 was re-signed by Movistar. By this time the Colombian was clearly in the twilight of his career, but was still eager to stay competitive and chase big wins, even if GC bids were now beyond him. He nearly achieved one final hurrah at the 2024 Giro d’Italia, where, in the Dolomites, during the kind of big mountain test he had always thrived in, he led the race from the breakaway with just 2km left to ride; but he was caught and passed by a charging Tadej Pogačar, a brutal demonstration of the new generation he was no longer able to keep up with.