Colombian GC rider confirms that he will not return to racing with Arkea Samsic in 2023 after Tour de France DQ
The Story
On August 16, 2022 Nairo announced that he would be continuing with Arkea Samsic for 3 more years. Just one day later it came out that Nairo had been disqualified from the Tour de France for multiple Tramadol positives, but what nobody knew is that the contract with Nairo although agreed upon had not been officially signed. We broke the news exclusively here in this article on Aug 21, 2022. Today, Nairo announced on his own social media that he would not be continuing with Arkea Samsic going forward.
In the video Nairo says that he’s had an amazing time at Arkea Samsic, that he’s really proud to have been a part of earning the points that will allow the team to take the step up from Pro Conti, to World Tour next season, and that he will not be joining the team next season. Nairo also goes on to say that he will continue to build his case with his legal team to fight his Tour de France disqualification, and that he is optimistic about his future.
What This Means
As we reported on Aug 21, Nairo’s contract was still unsigned. The finalized deal with Nairo was pending the results of some further internal drug tests with the team, including a hair sample test which would allow the team to look 4 months into what’s been in Nairo’s body. As Nairo announced today that he will not be continuing with the team, it’s fairly safe to assume that the team didn’t like what they saw, and they chose to part ways with Nairo. Why else would they let their top GC rider walk away from the program?
Currently unsigned for the 2023 season, Nairo’s situation is certainly up in the air. While he’s a high risk rider at the moment for any team, he’s also world class and wins races. It will be interesting to see what the future unfolds for Nairo in terms of racing going forward. At 32 years old and a Palmares that any professional rider would be proud of, Nairo still has some racing in his legs but whether or not the Colombian will get another opportunity to race on the world stage is yet to be seen. The unknown here is whether the deeper tests will result in some type of further suspension or findings.
Stay tuned for more updates on this story as it unfolds.
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