Nairo Quintana kicked off rumors of retirement and announced his decision to continue his career in an emotional speech in Bogotá on Wednesday.

Speculation over the Colombian's future continued to swirl this week after he himself held a press conference in the Colombian capital Wednesday morning.

But despite various major news outlets reporting that Quintana would be announcing his retirement, he instead issued an impassioned statement saying he wanted to continue at the highest level.

"I will not give up," Quintana said, noting that the history of Colombian cycling is colored by "fighters."

"I'm going to keep fighting to keep going - to keep riding my bike until my body and mind give way.

"I want to get back to competing, put on my number, feel the pain in my legs, and have the satisfaction of victory and the satisfaction of giving it my all all the way to the finish line. Because competition is a part of me.

Quintana, winner of the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, was stripped of his sixth-place finish and lost his team after testing positive for Tramadol, a painkiller banned in the Tour de France last year.

Although it was not technically a doping violation (tramadol is banned under UCI medical rules until 2024, when the World Anti-Doping Agency bans its use), Quintana was fired from his team, Arkea-Samsic, and is struggling to find a new home for 2023 He has been.

During the off-season, the 32-year-old Quintana insisted, albeit vaguely, that he would participate in the world's biggest race again this year, but nothing materialized. When he went to the press conference, widely expected to signal the end of his career, it was packed with a large media contingent.

However, there was no real news, only Quintana's insistence on continuing to work, with no clear choice.

"I'm not part of a team, but I'm a rider who can put on the jersey and do my best on the road," he said.

Quintana reiterated his desire to continue racing at the "highest level," and for that reason he has turned down an approach from the Colombian third division team where his compatriot Miguel Angel Lopez, who was fired by Astana, is huddled. Quintana hopes to return to the World Tour level, and if that is not possible, he will look for a second-division professional team to receive a wild-card invitation to major races.

"I am grateful to the Colombian team for reaching out to me.

"I can sign with a team in the highest category and I am training for that.

Quintana's determination seemed undiminished despite being on the brink of February and unemployed. Eleven of the 18 World Tour teams have already reached the maximum headcount limit of 30, and others have already finished their budgets, finalized their rosters, and begun racing.

The path to a professional team, which Arkea Samsic was on when he joined the French team in 2020, appears to be complicated by the fact that tramadors have been outlawed for years by the Movement for a Credible Cycling (MPCC).

The MPCC is an organization that teams are gently encouraged to join by the all-powerful ASO, which runs and distributes invitations to the Tour de France and other major races. The connection to the Collatec teams already seems to be hampered by that barrier.

"We are still talking and building bridges," said Quintana, who plans to go to Europe in February to intensify the search.

"I want to go to Europe, talk to the different teams, talk to the managers, and get out of this rough patch. I want to keep winning the biggest races in the world."