Arkea Samsic, ridiculed before the start of the 2020 season, has set an incredible pace in just two weeks of racing, led by Nairo Quintana's third stage win in Mont Ventoux. Colombia's Nairo Quintana will be looking for overall victory at the Tour de la Provence in Aix-en-Provence on Sunday.

Quintana, now 30, won the "queen stage" in Provence just two days after Nacer Bouhanni won a sprint contest on the first stage in Sainte-Marie-de-la-Mer.

Quintana, the 2019 Tour de France stage winner in Valloire, fueled memories of past glory at altitude with a fascinating stage win in Ventoux.

"I am working to repay the trust the team has put in me and hope it will be the first in a long series of successes," said the former Giro and Vuelta champion.

Grupama-FDJ leader Thibaut Pinot described Quintana as "the emperor."

"Even in February," said Pino--who apparently has been suffering from stomach pains for the past 48 hours--"if you want to win, it's important to already be at 100%. But hey, no excuses."

Philippe Maudie, Pinot's sporting director, admitted that the Tour de la Provence was effectively a warm-up race for the team leader as he waited to go down Ventoux.

"I don't like to say that, and it may be disrespectful to the race organization here, but our focus remains on July, and we are only in February.

"But it doesn't change the fact that we want to win, even if we're not at 100%. The Ventoux race is special."

So, with the help of a motivated Warren Barguil, can Quintana do any significant damage in the mountains during his three-year contract with the Breton team?

It's only February, but so far so good, and a win in Ventoux is worth cherishing. At least Quintana appears to have been rejuvenated by the move, free of the self-doubt and hesitation that characterized his final days at Movistar.