Nairo Quintana was a pretty popular guy in Colombia before the Vuelta a España, but returning to his homeland after winning his first red jersey gave Bogotá residents a chance to celebrate their hero.
The Movistar rider appeared at an event in the Colombian capital to mark his second Grand Tour win, with huge numbers of people lining the roads as the 26-year-old paraded through on an open-top bus.
Quintana beat Team Sky’s Chris Froome over the Vuelta’s 21 stages, winning stage 10 to the Lagos de Covadonga in the process.
Gracias por estas emociones!!! Orgulloso de su cariño. pic.twitter.com/i6blCaH4d9
— NairoQuinCo (@NairoQuinCo) September 18, 2016
Comienza la caravana en homenaje a @NairoQuinCo y decir #GraciasNairo @CanalRCN pic.twitter.com/z6SAYQIBih
— Movistar Colombia (@MovistarCo) September 18, 2016
La gente le dice "@NairoQuinCo vamos por la amarilla. Nairo mi hijo quiere ser como tú" #GraciasNairo @CanalRCN pic.twitter.com/UmVmtqUnjx
— Prensa Movistar Co (@PtelefonicaCol) September 18, 2016
Que hermoso pais!! #GraciasNairo @NairoQuinCo pic.twitter.com/Ls0im2wi3W
— Junior (@isma1256) September 18, 2016
After his Vuelta win, Movistar announced that Quintana has renewed his contract with the Spanish team through the 2019 season.
Having won the Giro d’Italia in 2014, Quintana’s palmares is now only missing the Tour de France, where he has finished second to Froome in 2013 and 2015, and third in 2016.
Headline sponsor Movistar also renewed its contract until the end of 2019, hoping to continue its streak of success, having topped the WorldTour rankings each year since 2012.
