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

[ice&fire]

Re:

It was simply a terrible idea to finally give the Giro a try (which in itself was a good idea) exactly the same year the Olympic RR suited him so well.

Nibali also did the Giro and clearly had the legs to win the Olympic RR, so perhaps Valverde's mistake was not following Nibali's wheel during the Tour.

 

[Sartorius]

Re: Re:

It was simply a terrible idea to finally give the Giro a try (which in itself was a good idea) exactly the same year the Olympic RR suited him so well.

Nibali also did the Giro and clearly had the legs to win the Olympic RR, so perhaps Valverde's mistake was not following Nibali's wheel during the Tour.

Valverde has 68 racing days already and he had way too long form peak.

 

[hrotha]

Nibali can jeopardize Lombardy without much of a problem, and it's not too bad if he essentially skips the Ardennes because unlike Valverde he's not, like, the best rider for them, so he can target the Giro and then take it easy at the Tour and be strong at the OR (was he at the top of his game, though? I doubt it). Valverde's case is different. Even if he had taken it easy at the Tour, he would still have had to sacrifice the Ardennes. That kind of schedule makes little sense for him.

 

[Billie]

To think his original plan was to do some cobbled classics aswel

 

[scurrrr]

Will he continue till 2018? I want to see him winning rainbow

 

[Arredondo]

Re:

Will he continue till 2018? I want to see him winning rainbow

Will be extremely difficult to become WC at 38 years old though.

 

[Asero831]

Re: Re:

Will he continue till 2018? I want to see him winning rainbow

Will be extremely difficult to become WC at 38 years old though.

Who will be hosting Worlds in 2018? What is the likely race profile?

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

Will he continue till 2018? I want to see him winning rainbow

Will be extremely difficult to become WC at 38 years old though.

Who will be hosting Worlds in 2018? What is the likely race profile?

Innsbruck, Austria. Mountains.

 

[Red Rick]

Valverde doesn't look like quitting any time soon, but I guess it depends how long his high level keeps up.

 

[ice&fire]

Re: Re:

Will he continue till 2018? I want to see him winning rainbow

Will be extremely difficult to become WC at 38 years old though.

All he needs to do is to ride from now on as if his best years were done 3 years ago and win it Zoetemelk style

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Will he continue till 2018? I want to see him winning rainbow

Will be extremely difficult to become WC at 38 years old though.

Who will be hosting Worlds in 2018? What is the likely race profile?

Salzburg, Austria. Mountains.

Likely to be harder than firenze?

 

[yaco]

My guess is Valverde will ride the Giro and Vuelta in 2017. No need for him to do the TDF.

 

[roundabout]

Re: Re:

Will he continue till 2018? I want to see him winning rainbow

Will be extremely difficult to become WC at 38 years old though.

Who will be hosting Worlds in 2018? What is the likely race profile?

Salzburg, Austria. Mountains.

You better edit that, before someone else sees it.

 

[Nirvana]

Re:

My guess is Valverde will ride the Giro and Vuelta in 2017. No need for him to do the TDF.

It's what i said after his tweet "Ci vediamo l'anno prossimo" at the end of the Giro.

A season with some early season races than two peak of form (Ardennes + Giro and Vuelta + fall classics) and a rest in june or july it's the best.

If Quintana is the sole leader for the Tour going to France after the Giro it's only a loss of energy that could compromise the end of the season and this year confirmed that. Now it's very tired and need a rest but there are less than two month left in the season, probably he'll ride Lombardia and some other one day races at the end of the season but with a question mark on his form.

 

[Angliru]

Re:

He completely messed up the two biggest one-day races of the year for him.

He obviously didn't have the legs. It happens. That course was a beast!
I think that his schedule as it was, whether it was his own choosing or joint with Movistar management, was not conducive to being at his best for the Olympics.

 

[liamito]

12/08/2016
TOUR OF SPAIN
For the first time in his career, Alejandro Valverde is participating in the three Grand Tours in the same season. After the third place on his debut in the Giro d'Italia, including a stage victory, and a sixth position in the overall of the Tour de France, the Movistar Team rider will face next Saturday his eleventh Vuelta a España, one of the last challenges of a busy year in which he already has seven wins.

La Vuelta has been the three-weeks race where Valverde has achieved better results since his debut in 2002. He reached the final victory in the 2009 edition ahead of Samuel Sánchez and Cadel Evans. In addition he has six podiums and nine partial triumphs, the last, a year ago in Vejer de la Frontera. Therefore, he is one of the key figures in the evolution of the spanish race in recent years.

Valverde reaches la Vuelta in a powerful Movistar Team, which also features Nairo Quintana, Rubén Fernández, Jonathan Castroviejo, José Joaquín Rojas, José Herrada, Rory Sutherland and Imanol Erviti. The race is running for six days in Galicia before continuing through northern Spain with finals in La Camperona, Naranco or Lagos de Covadonga. After the first rest day, riders are climbing Peña Cabarga and heading towards the Pyrenees, with finals in Aubisque and Formigal. The time trial of Calpe and the ascent to Aitana are going to resolve this edition of the spanish race.

 

[Mr.White]

Re:

12/08/2016
TOUR OF SPAIN
For the first time in his career, Alejandro Valverde is participating in the three Grand Tours in the same season. After the third place on his debut in the Giro d'Italia, including a stage victory, and a sixth position in the overall of the Tour de France, the Movistar Team rider will face next Saturday his eleventh Vuelta a España, one of the last challenges of a busy year in which he already has seven wins.

La Vuelta has been the three-weeks race where Valverde has achieved better results since his debut in 2002. He reached the final victory in the 2009 edition ahead of Samuel Sánchez and Cadel Evans. In addition he has six podiums and nine partial triumphs, the last, a year ago in Vejer de la Frontera. Therefore, he is one of the key figures in the evolution of the spanish race in recent years.

Valverde reaches la Vuelta in a powerful Movistar Team, which also features Nairo Quintana, Rubén Fernández, Jonathan Castroviejo, José Joaquín Rojas, José Herrada, Rory Sutherland and Imanol Erviti. The race is running for six days in Galicia before continuing through northern Spain with finals in La Camperona, Naranco or Lagos de Covadonga. After the first rest day, riders are climbing Peña Cabarga and heading towards the Pyrenees, with finals in Aubisque and Formigal. The time trial of Calpe and the ascent to Aitana are going to resolve this edition of the spanish race.

The guy is nuts! :surprised:

 

[Arredondo]

The guy is just completely nuts.

The team is making sure he's not riding at top level for another 2 years. Anyone can see the guy is tired. Protect him please!

 

[Valv.Piti]

What a legend.

 

[thehook]

My Guess would be. That Don Alejandro, is trying to top 10 all 3 GT. In 1 season!

 

[Arredondo]

My Guess would be. That Don Alejandro, is trying to top 10 all 3 GT. In 1 season!

I rather would win Lombardia for the first time.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Given he probably doesn't give a rats ass about the Canadian classics and WC is in Qatar, I like the decision. This will be his 5th GT in a row, he has top-10ed 4 GT's in a row now, 5th underway. At least thats much, much more impressive than the Adam Hansen PR-show going on in Lotto.

Me gusta. Even if he doesn't win that often, he is always up there, always contending a myriad of races. Thats why its a pleasure to be a Valverde-fan.

 

[KyoGrey]

Just incredible. His season planning seems perversely directed towards discovering the limits of his inmense motor.

He is going to end the season riding nearly 100 days.

This is some unprecedented type of performance for a modern cycling capo, I wonder if he is able to cope the whole Vuelta without mega-cracking. I don't know, maybe he even rides Lombardia and Worlds.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Just incredible. His season planning seems perversely directed towards discovering the limits of his inmense motor.

He is going to end the season riding nearly 100 days.

This is some unprecedented type of performance for a modern cycling capo, I wonder if he is able to cope the whole Vuelta without mega-cracking. I don't know, maybe he even rides Lombardia and Worlds.

He should definitely not go to Qatar, but Lombardia? Heck ya.

I am so intrigued by this. He is taking it to a whole other level.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

The guy is just completely nuts.

The team is making sure he's not riding at top level for another 2 years. Anyone can see the guy is tired. Protect him please!

Your certain skepticism to any Valverde-related stuff makes it even better better. I can always rely on you on this stuff, Arredondo.

Lets see how good he will be first. Valverde will much rather race his home GT than having a little better shot at Lombardia. I can respect and applaud that.