Nairo Quintana insists he will not give up on his professional career, despite his inability to find a team in the first three months of 2023 after testing positive for tramadol at last year's Tour de France. [The Colombian faces an uphill battle to find a team, in part because the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) prohibits team members from signing riders who test positive for tramadol.

While tramadol is banned by the UCI from in-competition use after March 2019, a positive tramadol test does not constitute a violation of WADA's anti-doping rules.

Quintana, who participated in the Colombian championships as a privateer, has been in Europe for the past few weeks, training in Andorra and working on his family business, and was recently interviewed by ESPN. (Open in new tab)

The Colombian insists that he has not broken any rules, saying, "The day I wear my race number on my back again in a big event will be a great victory for myself, Colombia, and all of Latin America."

"I did nothing wrong. I wanted to win the Nationals, that's the truth."

"I'm at a good level and I'm still moving forward with the goal of having my number again in the top event in the sport. The day I achieve that will be a big win, not only for myself, but also for Colombia and Latin America."

After parting ways with Arkea Samsic last year after a tramadol test and after rumors of his retirement were unfounded, Quintana told ESPN, "Things haven't changed since last year.

"But I'm convinced I can still do something, and the numbers I've been getting in training back that up."

Quintana, who denies taking tramadol, insists there is nothing stopping the team from signing him.

"I'm talking to a lot of different people, but right now any team can sign me with no problem. We have to keep in mind that some teams already have full rosters."

Tramadol is an opiate painkiller that made headlines in the mid-2010s, when reports of its widespread use in the peloton led the MPCC to request a ban on the drug until 2013.

Arkea Samsic is a member of the MPCC and was praised by the MPCC for terminating his contract earlier this year.

"We would like to add that, in keeping with our strict code of ethics, no team affiliated with the MPCC subsequently decided to hire a Colombian rider, and this stance seems to have become essential for everyone," the organization said.

Nine of the 19 men's WorldTour teams are members of the MPCC: AG2R Citroën, Alpecin Deceuninck, Arkea Samsic, Bora Hansgrohe, Cofidis, EF Education Easy Post and Groupama FDJ, Intermarche Circus Wanty, and Team DSM.

Quintana was eager to take the next step, saying, "The problems of the Tour de France happened, it got more serious, things got harder, and I became angry about it. But in the end I got over everything and I don't want to fight with anyone, I don't want to point fingers.

He lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year over the case, which stripped him of his Tour de France results, but Quintana said he would not return to court again.

"At the moment, all I want is to prove that I can do it, like Nairo has done throughout his career. Right now I'm training hard, staying at a good level, and hopefully I can start racing again soon."[33