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

[Panda Claws]

Meh... Gilbert did not start steamrolling until after Strade Bianchi last year either.

 

[El Pistolero]

Well most of us have been waiting for a year and 2/3-rds for a rider who races year round again. Gilbert was very good for 2011 but now Piti returns and hopefully will concentrate on racing year round instead of the lazy one goal a year by most others. I would rather he try to win all races he enters and loses them than only race one for a win and win the one.

Gilbert doesn't race year round?

2009

First win Giro stage (lot's of good performances before that win though)
Last win: Giro di Lombardia

2010

First win: AGR
Last win: Giro di Lombardia

2011

First win: stage in Algarve
Last win: GP de Wallonie

 

[The Hitch]

Gilbert doesn't race year round?

2009

First win Giro stage (lot's of good performances before that win though)
Last win: Giro di Lombardia

2010

First win: AGR
Last win: Giro di Lombardia

2011

First win: stage in Algarve
Last win: GP de Wallonie

Let me ask you a question.

How many times have you argued that Cancellara does not race year round?


And yet, going by the forumla above,

2008 First win - TOC Prologue Feb 17h
Last win Olympic World Time Trial Championship - 13th August.

2009
First win: TOC prologue - Feb 14th
Last win: UCI Road World Time Trial Championship- 24th September.

2010
First win : Tour of Oman Feb 19th
Last win : UCI Road World Time Trial Championship- 24th September.

2011
First win: E3 Prijs - 26th March
Last winL Vuelta ttt - 20th August.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

last year was the first time I can remember gilbert being active and threatining for most of the year.

Valverde was always like that.

 

[Cobblestoned]

Meh... Gilbert did not start steamrolling until after Strade Bianchi last year either.

You are living in the ****ing past.

 

[El Pistolero]

last year was the first time I can remember gilbert being active and threatining for most of the year.

Valverde was always like that.

Gilbert always raced year round. Up until 2009 he didn't always win though.

 

[Panda Claws]

You are living in the ****ing past.

?

Gilbert has sucked in these early races since 2009.

 

[webbie146]

Prepare yourself for the impact!

haha valverde is going to strike hard

 

[theyoungest]

No we know why Valverde has come back so viciously: he's suddenly 10 years younger...

(from Velo Magazine)

 

[Parrulo]

No we know why Valverde has come back so viciously: he's suddenly 10 years younger...

(from Velo Magazine)

did he get hair implants? or it's just because of the camera angle?

 

[theyoungest]

did he get air implants? or it's just because of the camera angle?

Hair implants.

 

[Parrulo]

Hair implants.

ya hair lol fail

i would have done the same if i was him, going bald before even hitting the 30's must suck big time.

 

[Angliru]

did he get hair implants? or it's just because of the camera angle?

It was the stress. You've never heard that cycling is the miracle cure for all that ails you?

 

[skidmark]

With the victory today, by my calculation Valverde moves into the 2012 CQ points lead (Gerrans got 25 to Valv's 40, but Valverde should be ahead 434-431). Say goodbye to your chances of first place in CQ for the rest of the year, everyone else...

 

[El Pistolero]

ya hair lol fail

i would have done the same if i was him, going bald before even hitting the 30's must suck big time.

Yup, wearing those helms all the time makes you go bald

I think Boonen is also growing bald slowly

 

[The Hitch]

With the victory today, by my calculation Valverde moves into the 2012 CQ points lead (Gerrans got 25 to Valv's 40, but Valverde should be ahead 434-431). Say goodbye to your chances of first place in CQ for the rest of the year, everyone else...

Unless Boonen wins tomorrow

 

[nobilis]

ya hair lol fail

i would have done the same if i was him, going bald before even hitting the 30's must suck big time.

hey hey hey!! i started losing my hair at the age of 20 so that's y i shave my hair. And apparently, women like shaved head.

 

[nobilis]

So at what point can we be confident enough to say that Valverde's comeback is indeed a Nuclear Holocaust?

 

[Parrulo]

hey hey hey!! i started losing my hair at the age of 20 so that's y i shave my hair. And apparently, women like shaved head.

So at what point can we be confident enough to say that Valverde's comeback is indeed a Nuclear Holocaust?

well after he wins P-N, pais vasco and LBL i think it will become pretty safe to assume it is indeed a nuclear holocaust

 

[skidmark]

Unless Boonen wins tomorrow

Or really, in the cobbled classics I guess... forgive me the hyperbole.

Seriously, though, I think Mende is the real test to see whether he's back. In Australia, even winning against a fast uphill finisher in top form for the race, doubters would say 'it wasn't against the top competition'. Now in Paris-Nice, it is against the top competition for this time of year and he still won, a decent indicator for the Ardennes. In Andalucia, against a decent field he got 10 seconds on the only real climb. Again, a good indicator. All signs point to him doing fine in Mende.

 

[mewmewmew13]

hey hey hey!! i started losing my hair at the age of 20 so that's y i shave my hair. And apparently, women like shaved head.

Most men do look pretty cool with a shaved head.
I saw your pic in the user pic thread and you do look good with a shaved head.... ha just so you know.

 

[nobilis]

Most men do look pretty cool with a shaved head.
I saw your pic in the user pic thread and you do look good with a shaved head.... ha just so you know.

thx! That's exactly what I needed to start my day.

 

[greenedge]

Or really, in the cobbled classics I guess... forgive me the hyperbole.

Seriously, though, I think Mende is the real test to see whether he's back. In Australia, even winning against a fast uphill finisher in top form for the race, doubters would say 'it wasn't against the top competition'. Now in Paris-Nice, it is against the top competition for this time of year and he still won, a decent indicator for the Ardennes.

Yeah but at Mende we no no one out of the GC contenders can sprint against him ( even if they all follow him on the slopes ). Gerrans also dialled back a bit his form- as he believes it would suit him better for the Ardennes.

The top competition in my view includes Anton, Samu, Andy/ Frank ( not trying ) Vino, Gilbert and Evans- no one really else ( for the Ardennes though i hope others can come through ) and none of those were present here

 

[nobilis]

I was checking the CN live feed, only to see this :

"Valverde has, of course, come back from suspension for his part in Operacion Puerto this season. On his return to action, the Spaniard rather disingenuously said that he couldn't understand why he had been suspended in the first place. Perhaps he didn't read the CAS proceedings closely enough during his 18 months on the sidelines, but the bags of his blood seized from Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes' fridge seem to have had something to do with it..."

they couldn't be more biased and mean

 

[Parrulo]

I was checking the CN live feed, only to see this :

"Valverde has, of course, come back from suspension for his part in Operacion Puerto this season. On his return to action, the Spaniard rather disingenuously said that he couldn't understand why he had been suspended in the first place. Perhaps he didn't read the CAS proceedings closely enough during his 18 months on the sidelines, but the bags of his blood seized from Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes' fridge seem to have had something to do with it..."

they couldn't be more biased and mean

well CN has no credibility as a news source so i don't even bother with what they say anymore