Disqualified last season from the Tour de France, where he took 6th place, without a team since his breakup with Arkea-Samsic, Quintana aligned himself with the national team of Colombia.
Winner of the 2014 Giro and the 2016 Vuelta, the Colombian was disqualified from the 2022 Tour after the discovery in his blood of traces of tramadol, a painkiller prohibited by medical regulations.
His last competitive appearance was at the World Road Championships last September in Australia.
Wearing a white jersey adorned with the sole name of his own sportswear brand, he received overwhelming support from the spectators in attendance.
Daniel Felipe Martinez (Ineos) took second place.
Contested in Bucaramanga, in the northeast of Colombia, the race settled in the last 30 kilometers, a series of short but intense climbs.
Chaves, Quintana and Martinez were in the fight with defending champion Sergio Higuita (Bora), Miguel Angel Lopez (Team Medellin), recent winner of the Tour of San Juan, Argentina, and Brandon Rivera (Ineos).
Chaves placed a decisive attack 7 km from the line.
© 2023 AFP