Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana said on Tuesday he will continue riding in the ongoing Vuelta a España in spite of a serious fall that made him lose first position in the rankings.
According to newspaper El Tiempo, Quintana only received minor injuries after his fall in the tenth stage of the prestigious cycling event, and is confident that he can continue.
| “As in life and in cycling. You fall and then you get back up again. Thanks to God I can continue with the race and give it my all!” |
“My left ankle especially bothers me, and I have bumps in various places, but I hope it’s not anything important,” the Colombian was quoted as saying.
Race doctor Pedro Sanz said that Quintana suffered no serious injuries in the fall. There was no bone fractures and only bruises and scrapes on various parts of his body, but nothing that would call for his withdrawal from the race.
Quintana, who began the stage with a narrow lead over Spain’s Alberto Contador, lost the red jersey due to a badly calculated corner that caused the rider to fall over in the time trial.
Quintana was treated by medical staff at the scene of the accident, and completed the course, finishing 4.07 minutes after the winner of the tenth stage, German rider Tony Martin.
“I had a good feeling on the way up, but on the downhill section I didn’t slow down enough. Before the curve, my shoe was loose and was pressing a bit, but I don’t think this had anything to do with the fall. What happened was that I braked for too long, but it wasn’t enough and I ended up on the ground,” said Martin.
The Colombian cyclist has been a favourite to win the event but has his work cut out for him after his accident with a gap of 3 minutes 25 seconds behind him and the Spanish leader Alberto Contador.
However, the physical battering he took in his hard fall hasn´t damped the Colombians spirits, and he still has his eyes firmly set on the podium.
“As in life and in cycling. You fall and then you get back up again. Thanks to God I can continue with the race and give it my all!” the rider optimistically said on Twitter.
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