He's coming home!!!! Alejandro Valverde comeback thread.

[Blanco]

I don't know.., he didn't looked that bad to me, at all. He didn't followed Jungels and Benoot, but I don't think it was because he couldn't. I think he's going to be good on Sunday, and especially in the Ardennes.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

He has gone from winning many races to top 5'ing many races. Of course that is not a massive drop in performance if you look at it physiologically, and he isn't way, way, way, way off form.

They say he aims to time his form for a bit later in the year. But he has never done that before and I have my doubts about if he can win something big this year. But he turns 39 in less than three weeks and this had to happen sometime.

He did once, which was 2016. Yet his form was still better than it is right now.

The only reason this isn't his worst season is because in 2002 he didn't win a single race.

At this point I have my doubts he's going win anything else this year the way he's been racing big or not.

The year where he murdered the entire field with a 7 kilometre attack on a long climb in Ruta del Sol? Allright.

And he really hasn't been as bad this year as you keep saying. Maybe you should rewatch his Abu Dhabi stage win. That is NOT something a lot of people can do and shows that he is still going very strongly.

Yeah, that year, that he was supposed to be holding off on his form a bit because of the Giro.

His form hasn't exactly been great this year. I think that Abu Dhabi stage this year shows that the from can be there and his race performances for the most part isn't due to a decline, but something else.

 

[Velolover2]

The race was too easy for him compared to last year and he is not in peak shape. The climbs wasn't even raced optimally.

He might be okay in Ronde but he has to go in a somewhat early break. Doesn't have a chance for podium or even top 10 but we could still get a nice show from him.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

The race was too easy for him compared to last year and he is not in peak shape. The climbs wasn't even raced optimally.

He might be okay in Ronde but he has to go in a somewhat early break. Doesn't have a chance for podium or even top 10 but we could still get a nice show from him.

That won't happen because no one in the peloton will let him get into an early break.

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

The race was too easy for him compared to last year and he is not in peak shape. The climbs wasn't even raced optimally.

He might be okay in Ronde but he has to go in a somewhat early break. Doesn't have a chance for podium or even top 10 but we could still get a nice show from him.

That won't happen because no one in the peloton will let him get into an early break.

He is a big name but I'm not sure the likes of Sagan, GVA and Stybar will respond. They have to watch out for each other.

What do you think is his best tactics? He need an advantage before the second and third Oude Kwaremont. I'd go on the steep Kanarieberg. The hill that suits him the most.

 

[Lequack]

Nice photo from today:

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

The race was too easy for him compared to last year and he is not in peak shape. The climbs wasn't even raced optimally.

He might be okay in Ronde but he has to go in a somewhat early break. Doesn't have a chance for podium or even top 10 but we could still get a nice show from him.

That won't happen because no one in the peloton will let him get into an early break.

He is a big name but I'm not sure the likes of Sagan, GVA and Stybar will respond. They have to watch out for each other.

What do you think is his best tactics? He need an advantage before the second and third Oude Kwaremont. I'd go on the steep Kanarieberg. The hill that suits him the most.

I don't think they'll let him get out in the break. I think the Kanariegberg is his best hope of doing something.


Lequack, That's a nice photo. I really like the rainbow stripes on the black jersey. The colors really stand out on it.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

The race was too easy for him compared to last year and he is not in peak shape. The climbs wasn't even raced optimally.

He might be okay in Ronde but he has to go in a somewhat early break. Doesn't have a chance for podium or even top 10 but we could still get a nice show from him.

That won't happen because no one in the peloton will let him get into an early break.

He is a big name but I'm not sure the likes of Sagan, GVA and Stybar will respond. They have to watch out for each other.

What do you think is his best tactics? He need an advantage before the second and third Oude Kwaremont. I'd go on the steep Kanarieberg. The hill that suits him the most.

I don't think they'll let him get out in the break. I think the Kanariegberg is his best hope of doing something.


Lequack, That's a nice photo. I really like the rainbow stripes on the black jersey. The colors really stand out on it.

You wouldn't have thought they would have let Gilbert in a break two years ago, either.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Re:

Nice photo from today:

I can just imagine what those Bora guys are thinking at the moment "LOL, make the most of it dude, it's the only time you'll be in front during this race!"

Maybe he is happy with the way he is riding at the moment and has specific targets in mind to go for the win. Give him time, he'll come good for you and all will be forgiven.

 

[Bardamu]

When the peloton slows down a bit and riders like van Baarle, Politt, Oss make a move he has to follow. They'll let him go and he'll have an advantage and doesn't need to position himself all the time etc.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

The race was too easy for him compared to last year and he is not in peak shape. The climbs wasn't even raced optimally.

He might be okay in Ronde but he has to go in a somewhat early break. Doesn't have a chance for podium or even top 10 but we could still get a nice show from him.

That won't happen because no one in the peloton will let him get into an early break.

He is a big name but I'm not sure the likes of Sagan, GVA and Stybar will respond. They have to watch out for each other.

What do you think is his best tactics? He need an advantage before the second and third Oude Kwaremont. I'd go on the steep Kanarieberg. The hill that suits him the most.

I don't think they'll let him get out in the break. I think the Kanariegberg is his best hope of doing something.


Lequack, That's a nice photo. I really like the rainbow stripes on the black jersey. The colors really stand out on it.

You wouldn't have thought they would have let Gilbert in a break two years ago, either.

Good point. However, Gilbert is at Quickstep and it's likely the thought process was he was the least dangerous of the QS riders to let go.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Nice photo from today:

I can just imagine what those Bora guys are thinking at the moment "LOL, make the most of it dude, it's the only time you'll be in front during this race!"

Maybe he is happy with the way he is riding at the moment and has specific targets in mind to go for the win. Give him time, he'll come good for you and all will be forgiven.

He seems to be happy with how he's riding. He keeps saying his form is where he wants it. He posted on twitter today and seems very excited about racing Flanders on Sunday.

 

[rick james]

Re:

Nice photo from today:

I love the world champs jersey in black

 

[Koronin]

A couple of pictures from today's training ride. He looks happy and looks to be enjoying himself.

 

[Sciatic]

Re:

A couple of pictures from today's training ride. He looks happy and looks to be enjoying himself.

Hmm, looks like he got a tip from Eddie M. that the key to winning this race is frequent saddle adjustments

 

[Sciatic]

Re:

A couple of pictures from today's training ride. He looks happy and looks to be enjoying himself.

Hmm, looks like he got a tip from Eddie M. that the key to winning this race is frequent saddle adjustments

 

[Sciatic]

Re:

A couple of pictures from today's training ride. He looks happy and looks to be enjoying himself.

Hmm, looks like he got a tip from Eddie M. that the key to winning this race is frequent saddle adjustments

 

[Velolover2]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-set-for-tour-of-flanders-debut-i-think-its-the-right-moment/

It looks like he is taking this very seriously. Want to be among the best. It's not a training ride for him like MSR.

“I would say 90 per cent I can’t win. As for the other 10 per cent, with a lot of luck, with good legs, and with everything going well, then maybe I can. I need everything to go like it did at Worlds – without one single mistake."

“I am already happy with my palmares, but winning on Sunday would be amazing. For me, but also for the Belgian fans, and for any real fans who like cycling – I think they’d enjoy it as well,"

 

[Blanco]

Yeah, I think he slowly builds up, and right now he's near top form, maybe at 95%, aiming to be at 100 at the Ardennes and hopefully to carry that form to the Giro...
He looked good to me at Dwars, actually, fluid and easy-going. I think he didn't want to follow Benoot and Jungels, not that he couldn't do it. This year he rides differently I think, he doesn't want to burn himself out in every race, something that he frequently did in the past. I think he saves himself for major goals.
Let's wait and see, I think top 10 at De Ronde is possible and achievable.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

He is only riding this race because of the jersey he is wearing. He knows he's no chance. Suppose he's getting some mileage in his legs though.

 

[PremierAndrew]

He is only riding this race because of the jersey he is wearing. He knows he's no chance. Suppose he's getting some mileage in his legs though.

For a rider like valverde, the heightened chance of crashing and ruining his entire season is way too high to merely get some mileage in this race. He'll be looking to do well

 

[Red Rick]

On the other hand, if he really wanted to pull out all the stops he would've ridden more than just Dwars door Vlaanderen as preperation.

 

[Keram]

I would love to see Valverde in 2017 with his interstellar form but now it is kinda meh. But I am glad he is riding. The question for me is if he can finish better than Nibali last year.

 

[Koronin]

I would have preferred to see him race Flanders in his 2017 or 2018 form. This year it's not as hopeful for him to do as well as either of those two would have been. It's possible for him to do very well, but less likely. On the other hand, we can easily see from the pictures he's happy, enjoying himself and having fun.

 

[tobydawq]

Why, oh why, hasn't he ridden this race every year?