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

[Nirvana]

Olympics are such a rarity I don't really hold it against a rider if they win it.

He had four shots at Olympics, three of which on routes that suited him, I would have expected something better than two top 20, one rode in support of a team mate and a 48th.
Tokyo is another big call giving the route.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I'll believe Valverde can win Vlaanderen when I see it.

95% he can't, but him turning up in that race in the stripes would be awesome. Im pretty certain he can top-10, though.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

I'll believe Valverde can win Vlaanderen when I see it.

I believe he could've won it if he had spent years racing it.
I don't believe he can win it now.

All the winners, from Sorensen to Museeuw to van Petegem to whoever, always say that while Roubaix is simply about raw endurance, having the weight to bare the cobbles, and being lucky, Flanders is not about the endurance or the weight, but about knowing the roads well so you expend as little energy as possible, while at the same time being explosive. He's explosive but he doesn't know the roads. He'd need like 5 editions to have a chance.

 

[Koronin]

Sagan thinks he can win Flanders.

There are some holes on his palmares although not many a few are races he's very literally never raced like flanders and California. Then you've got Paris-Nice, Strade, Amstel, and Lombardia. Yes I believe he could come over here race California once and win it. However, next year he needs to go back to the Giro and skip the Tour.

I don't count the Olympics as it's once every 4 years.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

I'll believe Valverde can win Vlaanderen when I see it.

What about Roland Garros?

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re: Re:

I'll believe Valverde can win Vlaanderen when I see it.

What about Roland Garros?

His blood brother already has, so in a way he has too.

 

[lartiste]

Re: Re:

I'll believe Valverde can win Vlaanderen when I see it.

What about Roland Garros?

Roland Garros, of course, and Ledecka is going to win Wimbledon :lol: .

 

[Blanco]

What a rider, what a career! Grande!!!

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

Not the last hole. He could as well have a go at Flanders again. Why not? I don't think it's completely outside his capabilities

He is more than competitive at Dwars door Vlanderen but Ronde is different beast. He is more explosive than Nibali of course and he could do sharpest cobbled hills with best but on Kwaremont he would suffer big time with his 65 kg. He is too light to win Ronde imo. Top ten would be massive feat.

The weight factor is overrated, I still remember when Chiappucci (that was something around 60 kg) was able to be in contention and cobbles specialist were heawier than now.

This year we even had the ultralight Pozzovivo easily surviving in the front group in the Roubaix stage of the Tour at his second ever race on the cobbles.

I think the attitude count way more, if you feel comfortable and you like the cobbles you can do well regardless, if you don't like and feel bad you could be also an heavy engine but you are repelled.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

So the question is who is the World Champ for Lombardia? Can he wear the Rainbow stripes there this year or not?

Kwiatkowski wore the rainbow jersey in Lombardia 2014.

https://youtu.be/Iy9iuh8vWqM?t=51s

And Lemond wore it finishing 2nd there in 1983.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Not the last hole. He could as well have a go at Flanders again. Why not? I don't think it's completely outside his capabilities

He is more than competitive at Dwars door Vlanderen but Ronde is different beast. He is more explosive than Nibali of course and he could do sharpest cobbled hills with best but on Kwaremont he would suffer big time with his 65 kg. He is too light to win Ronde imo. Top ten would be massive feat.

The weight factor is overrated, I still remember when Chiappucci (that was something around 60 kg) was able to be in contention and cobbles specialist were heawier than now.

This year we even had the ultralight Pozzovivo easily surviving in the front group in the Roubaix stage of the Tour at his second ever race on the cobbles.

I think the attitude count way more, if you feel comfortable and you like the cobbles you can do well regardless, if you don't like and feel bad you could be also an heavy engine but you are repelled.

I think peaking is a big issue as well. Valverde probably isn't going to try reach an absolute peak for RVV - it's slightly too far from the Ardennes. Whereas GVA, Sagan and the Quickstep cabal etc.. will have been racing cobbles for weeks already and will all be at 100% physically and in terms of racing mentality.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Oh yeah that happens every year, they make a new jersey to wear for what's left of the season. Sagan at Abu Dhabi, Kwiatkowski at Lombardia, Costa at Lombardia and Beijing, Gilbert at Lombardia, Cavendish at Paris-Tours.

Even sprinters usually go to Lombardia just to show off the jersey. Like Hushovd. Just a few days ago I was watching my video of Lombardia 99 and even Freire showed up and attacked just to show it off (then DNFed when caught)

As of this moment, the jersey wearer is Valverde and not Sagan anymore.

For reference of what the jersey might look like, here's the only world championship jersey Movistar have ever had (I'm not counting Indurain using that one off monstrosity on the Naranco). Costa in 2013 before leaving the team. If I recall correctly Costa was so desperate to show off the jersey he raced ill.

For the record, I despise the fully white shorts. It looks awful.

 

[Serpentin]

Nothing more to prove. Hope he smashes every smaller race next year in the WC jersey. :lol: Lombardia would be great but this is the greatest victory.

That`s it, I'm buying a canyon!

 

[Velolover2]

I'd like to see him doing less one-week races and add more one-day races.

Mallorca races
Valencia
Omloop
Strade
T-A or PN
E3 or Dwars
Ronde
Amstel
Fleche
Liege
Giro (for stages/helping the leader)

break

San Seb
Binck Bank
Vuelta (stages/helping the leader)
Worlds
Lombardia

 

[Koronin]

Thanks guys. Then hopefully he goes to Lombardia so he can race in the rainbow jersey.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

Not the last hole. He could as well have a go at Flanders again. Why not? I don't think it's completely outside his capabilities

He is more than competitive at Dwars door Vlanderen but Ronde is different beast. He is more explosive than Nibali of course and he could do sharpest cobbled hills with best but on Kwaremont he would suffer big time with his 65 kg. He is too light to win Ronde imo. Top ten would be massive feat.

The weight factor is overrated, I still remember when Chiappucci (that was something around 60 kg) was able to be in contention and cobbles specialist were heawier than now.

This year we even had the ultralight Pozzovivo easily surviving in the front group in the Roubaix stage of the Tour at his second ever race on the cobbles.

I think the attitude count way more, if you feel comfortable and you like the cobbles you can do well regardless, if you don't like and feel bad you could be also an heavy engine but you are repelled.

I think peaking is a big issue as well. Valverde probably isn't going to try reach an absolute peak for RVV - it's slightly too far from the Ardennes. Whereas GVA, Sagan and the Quickstep cabal etc.. will have been racing cobbles for weeks already and will all be at 100% physically and in terms of racing mentality.

For Valverde specific case I don't think it's a problem, in the last two years he was firing al cylinders already in March, obviously that will change if he'll have to prepare for the Giro. There are very few riders that combines cobbles races with the Giro and usually domestiques.
Anyway another problem could be going only to Ronde without preparation races, this year Kwiatkowski was literally nowhere in the Ronde despite being in good shape and Nibali after the race hinted that next year needs a full program if he wants to be really competitive. The adaption to Belgian roads, weather, style of racing probably isn't easy if you come from Italian or Spanish races instead of other cobbles races.

 

[Leinster]

Re:

Thanks guys. Then hopefully he goes to Lombardia so he can race in the rainbow jersey.

As others said above, there's no reason for him not to, but there's at least one very good reason to go. Even if he spends the next 2 weeks celebrating and shows up in Bergamo hungover, it'll be worth it to who off the colours.

Maybe he should ride Paris-Tours, too. That's becoming less and less a sprinter's classic these days, and going to fast finishers out of smart breakaways.

 

[DNP-Old]

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Thanks guys. Then hopefully he goes to Lombardia so he can race in the rainbow jersey.

As others said above, there's no reason for him not to, but there's at least one very good reason to go. Even if he spends the next 2 weeks celebrating and shows up in Bergamo hungover, it'll be worth it to who off the colours.

Maybe he should ride Paris-Tours, too. That's becoming less and less a sprinter's classic these days, and going to fast finishers out of smart breakaways.

LOL, even hung over he could probably get a top 10 out of a race. I hope he does go just to show off the rainbow jersey if nothing else. Sure, why not Paris-Tours as well.

DPN-old, TY for the covers.

 

[No_Balls]

Re: Re:

Finally a cycling god got crowned in the jersey which is rightfully his and i cant think of anyone more worthy then him.

The King is dead, All hail the King!

 

[rick james]

Re:

I'll believe Valverde can win Vlaanderen when I see it.

all right, calm down

 

[perico]

What a champion! Such a classy rider.

 

[skidmark]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I just watched the replay as I would have only woken up this morning for the last hour and I wanted to see the whole thing unfold so I held off all day, sans spoilers (not hard to avoid in Canada). I honestly don't know if I've ever fist pumped and celebrated so hard watching sports by myself ever before. Many of his previous losses have been to him misplaying tactics, but even so, it was awesome to see him finally succeed. Now he's got a year in stripes!

Oh man, I'm a Canadian and I was cheering like 92% for Valverde, 5% for Woods (the other 3% was for anyone but Moscon). Not the most explosive long-range race, but it was fantastic to watch as a war of attrition (oh, Sagan's gone? Yates this lap? Now Kwiatkowski??), and a testament to how hard it is to succeed on a course like this, in a race of this length. Half the reason I started cheering for Valverde like 15 years ago when I started following cycling was because he was the rider in the peloton with the closest birthday to mine so I felt an affinity with him. Dumb reason, but seeing a 38-year-old fella do that was extra inspiring for me today.

 

[Koronin]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I just watched the replay as I would have only woken up this morning for the last hour and I wanted to see the whole thing unfold so I held off all day, sans spoilers (not hard to avoid in Canada). I honestly don't know if I've ever fist pumped and celebrated so hard watching sports by myself ever before. Many of his previous losses have been to him misplaying tactics, but even so, it was awesome to see him finally succeed. Now he's got a year in stripes!

Oh man, I'm a Canadian and I was cheering like 92% for Valverde, 5% for Woods (the other 3% was for anyone but Moscon). Not the most explosive long-range race, but it was fantastic to watch as a war of attrition (oh, Sagan's gone? Yates this lap? Now Kwiatkowski??), and a testament to how hard it is to succeed on a course like this, in a race of this length. Half the reason I started cheering for Valverde like 15 years ago when I started following cycling was because he was the rider in the peloton with the closest birthday to mine so I felt an affinity with him. Dumb reason, but seeing a 38-year-old fella do that was extra inspiring for me today.

I need to go find a replay of the entire race. We did the race on TV this evening only the end of it and I didn't know so only saw it about a half hour into it. Got the rest of it on tape anyway. Now for your birthday reason, you aren't the only one to do that. Although not in this case. I was new to cycling at the beginning of his career as well and there was just something about him that made me say he's my favorite. Now different sport, NASCAR, I was always a big fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr because he is literally only 8 days older than I am. So to me it's not a dumb reason. May not be the best reason, but not dumb either.

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

Question for me would be Giro for GC or for stages

Depends on the route tbh. If the last few stages are easy, then he can go for GC.
He shouldn't ride the Tour next season. I would be very happy if he goes for an almost full classics season.