Teams & Riders He's coming home!!!! Alejandro Valverde comeback thread.

[movingtarget]

He did very well today. Rode a smart stage.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

Valverde has spent his whole career trying to make podiums in GTs, not wins. He has never been a GT winner material; a second tier in these races. Its a pity that he hadnt someone clever at his side when he started his career that guided him in accordance with his abilities. He could have won dozens of GT stages, classics and one week races, instead of hanging on in the top 5 or 10 in every single GT he has raced.

Didn't he win the Vuelta in 2009 ? Still the most versatile rider of his generation. Name a rider who would not like his win record ? The only thing missing is a win at the Worlds and he podiumed a couple.

I'm pretty sure Froome, Nibali and Contador wouldn't prefer Piti's palmares over their own.

So Froome and Nibali have better palmares than Valverde? Get real!

Nibali has arguably the best palmares among active riders. All GTs + a monument, national championship. Really, he is just missing the worlds (came close)/olympics

It's not 'arguably', if it inspires debate.

 

[damian13ster]

Thought that's the very meaning of the word. 'Argument can be made that.....'. Might be wrong though, English is not my first language.

 

[Carols]

For a while I thought all he would get was a stage but today he sealed the deal and made the podium. Nice ride and he really is a grand rider, just vulnerable at high altitude and in multi mountain stages. Chapeau Bala, you came to your first Giro and leave having accomplished what you came for! It would have been nice to see him in pink at least once but I'm happy.

 

[Rollthedice]

Congrats to Bala, all three GT podiums and stage wins. Hope to see more.

 

[ice&fire]

Re:

Very happy with the result.

Superb performance in high altitude today. Him losing 3 minutes in Corvara wasn't only down to the altitude, but a bad day as well. At the end of the day, he only lost the Giro with freakin 1.17. Despite never being in the race since Corvara, he actually was rather close.

His weakness is not altitude alone, is the combination of altitude, effort intensity and duration. Today's climbs were higher than those in the stage of Corvara, but that stage was almost always above 1500m after they approached Pordoi. Agnello was raced harder than Bonette but on top of that he was in the Agnello descent with a smaller group than Nibali/Chaves. Don't forget he was only 15 secs behind them with 30kms to go but started the climb to Risoul 1 min behind and lost 2:15 at the finish. He could have been closer if his teammates in yesterday's break had been better. Movistar sent three men, but two of them were already behind him before the Agnello summit.

 

[joe_papp]

What an admirable result, placing on podium and winning a stage in his Giro debut.

Truly easy to be a fan of this man. His versatility and consistency never cease to amaze. And he always gives off such an air of enthusiasm. Bravo

 

[trevim]

It seems like Don Alejandro had a joyful ride in today's stage, taking a break to read the paper and then doing enough to secure him a nice podium position. It's kind of sad to see that Kruijswijk comes away with a handful of nothing and Valverde gets a stage win and the podium. Cycling in unfair sometimes.

Still, great to see Alejandro in Italy and I hope he keeps going to "stranges races" in the twilight of his career, specifically Flanders, Emillia or San Remo.

 

[Netserk]

It was fortunate for him that the weather was so nice this May. He obviously has a great recovery and is a good climber, but it's quite telling that his best performances were in the shortest stages. I still think that if this Giro was to be raced all over again with the same riders in the same form, but next year's weather (whatever that may be) and slightly different race dynamics, he would be more likely to finish outside the podium than on it.

 

[hfer07]

Don alejandro has accomplished his objectives yet again I truly wish he abandons the tour de france idea at all and tries Il Giro once more!

En hora buena Alejandro!!!

 

[Asero831]

What are his chances in winning the yellow jersey in stage 2 of TdF?

 

[rghysens]

Re:

What are his chances in winning the yellow jersey in stage 2 of TdF?

I don't think that finish is difficult enough. More suited to Sagan, Van Avermaet, Boasson Hagen,...
And then there's of course the weather. Being almost entirely raced on coastal roads, stages 1 and 2 are quite susceptible to echelon-forming, if the wind blows hard enough.

 

[jens_attacks]

think too that both him and chaves were blessed by the weather

anyway, class is eternal. grande bala!

 

[jsem94]

Valverde GTs:

19 starts
16 finishes
15x top 10
8x podium finishes
1x winner

What a rider.

 

[portugal11]

Contador GT's
14 starts
13 finishes
12 top 10
12 top 5
9 wins

 

[jsem94]

Re:

Contador GT's
14 starts
13 finishes
12 top 10
12 top 5
9 wins

This thread isn't about Contador. We all know Contador is a far superior GT rider. What's your point?

 

[Mr.White]

Re:

Contador GT's
14 starts
13 finishes
12 top 10
12 top 5
9 wins

Or someone might say:
11 starts
10 finishes
9 top 10
7 wins

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Bala's palmares is better though.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Contador GT's
14 starts
13 finishes
12 top 10
12 top 5
9 wins

Or someone might say:
11 starts
10 finishes
9 top 10
7 wins

You have to wonder what Valverde could have done in GT's if he would have focused exclusively on them throughout his career. All that peaking for the Ardennes and Worlds meant that he was probably only around 90% for most of his GT's.

Probably would have had a similar record to Contador's; perhaps even a shade better as he would have taken several wins from El Pistolero.

Glad he didn't though - it's much better to have more rounded riders, and I'm sure he's had a lot more fun in his career racing the way that he has done.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Only God knows how far Valverde would have got if he'd taken iron supplements.

 

[Arredondo]

This is just pathetic. Respect each other and each rider. To say Contador is a far superior GT-rider is pathetic. But it's just as pathetic to state Valverde would have won more GT's if he focused solely on them.

Life in peace and enjoy cycling! Especially after this Giro!

 

[DFA123]

Re:

This is just pathetic. Respect each other and each rider. To say Contador is a far superior GT-rider is pathetic. But it's just as pathetic to state Valverde would have won more GT's if he focused solely on them.

Life in peace and enjoy cycling! Especially after this Giro!

Eh, not sure what has provoked that? It's a pretty reasonable discussion. Contador is obviously the far superior GT rider - probably the best of his generation. But Valverde is quite possibly the most talented cyclist of his era, so it is interesting to speculate how he could have done had he solely focused on GTs. Surely he would have won a few more.

At least the Giro or Vuelta a couple of times. TdF is more complicated because the TTs are more important and the level of competition is always super high; but I think he could at least have had a GT palmares similar to Nibali - perhaps even better.

 

[Arredondo]

Re: Re:

This is just pathetic. Respect each other and each rider. To say Contador is a far superior GT-rider is pathetic. But it's just as pathetic to state Valverde would have won more GT's if he focused solely on them.

Life in peace and enjoy cycling! Especially after this Giro!

Eh, not sure what has provoked that? It's a pretty reasonable discussion. Contador is obviously the far superior GT rider - probably the best of his generation. But Valverde is quite possibly the most talented cyclist of his era, so it is interesting to speculate how he could have done had he solely focused on GTs. Surely he would have won a few more.

At least the Giro or Vuelta a couple of times. TdF is more complicated because the TTs are more important and the level of competition is always super high; but I think he could at least have had a GT palmares similar to Nibali - perhaps even better.

I don't believe that. You could also say Valverde needs that amount of races to be in top shape. And you don't have any certainty he would have won more GT's, if he would not have targeted the classics. You just don't know.

And despite that, Bala can't handle the altitude. That doesn't have something to do with focus, but with the quality and capabilities of a rider. He will suffer on altitude the same if he will not do the classics and focus solely on the Giro.

Vuelta? Maybe. But it wasn't only Contador who was in the mix back then. But also Froome. and Purito (who also rides the classics to win them). It's just impossible to say.

 

[Moviestar]

Next goals: "My next big objective from now is mainly the Rio Olympics. We will go to the Tour in order to support Nairo Quintana. I want to make it clear, from this very moment, that I will be losing time on the first week and take things easier so I can help Nairo out and give my best in the mountains. Also, if it's possible and it doesn't compromise the team's goals, I'd like to chase some stage wins or make it into the break and help the team from there. Our motto for the Tour remains the #SueñoAmarillo, winning the Tour with Nairo at last, and then, the Rio Games."

 

[Miburo]

I think piti would have been the greatest classic rider of all time (except for Merckx i guess ) if he solely focused on classics.

And if he never went for the vuelta GC, he would have been already WC, and more than once.

That's my 2 cents