Nothing to hide: Tour de France rider says substance 'perfectly legal' after room searched

On Monday, Quintana’s Arkea-Samsic team confirmed that their hotel rooms had been searched by police following stage 17 of the Tour

Nairo Quintana has denied any wrongdoing after his hotel room was searched during the Tour de France. Picture: Marco Bertorello/AP/PA

Nairo Quintana has denied any wrongdoing and said no illegal substances were found during a search of his hotel room by authorities during the Tour de France.

The Colombian, a former winner of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, issued a statement late on Tuesday night after the public prosecutor’s office in Marseille opened a preliminary investigation into suspected doping practices.