Quintana looked strong at the start of the Vuelta a España, and proved to be the best general classification rider on stage 13 to La Camperona. However his form dropped, and when the race hit the third week, Quintana dropped out of the podium after the Time trial on stage 16. He lost even more time on the following day to Balcon de Bizkaia. On stage 19 Quintana was only 6th place overall and had to attack if he wanted to win the race. Therefore, he attacked almost at the bottom of the final climb, but Thibaut Pinot and Simon Yates attacked and bridged the gap to Quintana. Quintana could not follow their pace, and ended up riding in support for Valverde.