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

[Valv.Piti]

Lets calm a bit down, the Tour has some very nice first stages where he can show his WC jersey and maybe get a stage.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

Lets calm a bit down, the Tour has some very nice first stages where he can show his WC jersey and maybe get a stage.

Not if he shows up in the shape he was in last year. Also not if they let breaks go take most of the stages like happens so many times at the Tour.

 

[yaco]

Seems to be a waste of Valverde's talents to ride the TDF - There are a number of other suitable races which he could use as a lead up to the vuelta.

 

[hfer07]

I don't find the rational of him riding Le Tour, unless he goes for Stage wins- other than that he should skip it and go to La Vuelta with some GC ambitions....

 

[Amazinmets87]

Confirmed for Tour

 

[Serpentin]

Wow, hope he rides in the Gruppetto all across France so he can have a real peak for the Vuelta/WC/Lombardy.

 

[Koronin]

I hope he actually goes stage hunting.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I dont know what his role will be. I hope stage hunting at first, then going into a superdomestique role if Landa/Quintana have the legs to contend for the win. If they are not, no point in trying to help and just look for lots of breaks and that stuff instead of trying to ride a pseudo GC for himself, altho I fear thats what he is going to do until proven ohterwise.

Then again, who knows if he suddenly is flying in Route du Sud. And by that I mean quite a lot better than last year where it looked like he was put into some trouble on the MTF.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

I dont know what his role will be. I hope stage hunting at first, then going into a superdomestique role if Landa/Quintana have the legs to contend for the win. If they are not, no point in trying to help and just look for lots of breaks and that stuff instead of trying to ride a pseudo GC for himself, altho I fear thats what he is going to do until proven ohterwise.

Then again, who knows if he suddenly is flying in Route du Sud. And by that I mean quite a lot better than last year where it looked like he was put into some trouble on the MTF.

I agree. I'd prefer him to go stage hunting. I do wonder if he'll be a little better form for Route du Sud this year simply because the National Championships are in his home region of Murcia this year. However, I agree with you, that unless he's flying in Route du Sud he should not be going after a psuedo GC.

 

[Red Rick]

Hope he sits on Froomes wheel for 3 weeks so Quintana has to sit somewhere else.

Hope he goes for the breakaways and KoM. I want that Nibs vs Valv battle

 

[Amazinmets87]

Another win in the stripes!

 

[Koronin]

A very typical type of stage win for Alejandro today. Nice to see him get another win in the rainbow stripes. Now he has the race leaders jersey.

 

[Velolover2]

He look like he has lost a lot of weight since the spring.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Re:

He look like he has lost a lot of weight since the spring.

Agreed. Wonder if that's a good or bad sign...

He's downplayed his interest in le Tour but the race has never been more open from a GC perspective. Is there enough time for him to build decent form?

 

[ice&fire]

Best he can do at Le Tour is to take the role Amador had at the Giro and let Nairo and Mikel play their own game

 

[Koronin]

Best he can do at Le Tour is to take the role Amador had at the Giro and let Nairo and Mikel play their own game

Amador is headed to the Tour to fill his role.

Too much high altitude at the Tour this year for Alejandro.

He does look just a little thinner than his normal race weight, so not sure that's a good thing.

He's also talked about wanting to go stage hunting at the Tour this year.

 

[dastott]

Looking very lean, another Tour podium not impossible perhaps?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Looking very lean, another Tour podium not impossible perhaps?

The good Valverde almost looks unhealthy which obviously is a good thing in cycling. Tbh in this Tour, everything is possible, nothing can or will surprise me.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Re: Re:

Looking very lean, another Tour podium not impossible perhaps?

The good Valverde almost looks unhealthy which obviously is a good thing in cycling. Tbh in this Tour, everything is possible, nothing can or will surprise me.

Yes, but will all that high altitude climbing in the Alpes the team will need to give him an oxygen mask for those stages.

 

[Blanco]

Not super strong, but his form looks promising for the 2nd part of the season. He'll be good at the Tour, but real peak will be at La Vuelta, WC and Lombardia.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Looking very lean, another Tour podium not impossible perhaps?

The good Valverde almost looks unhealthy which obviously is a good thing in cycling. Tbh in this Tour, everything is possible, nothing can or will surprise me.

Yes, but will all that high altitude climbing in the Alpes the team will need to give him an oxygen mask for those stages.

Oh yeah.

But judged on today, he was human again, altho it was impressive to see how he fought back... I think he will stay in the GC battle and not just give up time on purpose only because so many names are absent and such, but prob wont do much GC-wise still.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

Looking very lean, another Tour podium not impossible perhaps?

The good Valverde almost looks unhealthy which obviously is a good thing in cycling. Tbh in this Tour, everything is possible, nothing can or will surprise me.

Yes, but will all that high altitude climbing in the Alpes the team will need to give him an oxygen mask for those stages.

Oh yeah.

But judged on today, he was human again, altho it was impressive to see how he fought back... I think he will stay in the GC battle and not just give up time on purpose only because so many names are absent and such, but prob wont do much GC-wise still.

Nibali's partner for breakaways in Le Tour.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Looking very lean, another Tour podium not impossible perhaps?

The good Valverde almost looks unhealthy which obviously is a good thing in cycling. Tbh in this Tour, everything is possible, nothing can or will surprise me.

Yes, but will all that high altitude climbing in the Alpes the team will need to give him an oxygen mask for those stages.

Oh yeah.

But judged on today, he was human again, altho it was impressive to see how he fought back... I think he will stay in the GC battle and not just give up time on purpose only because so many names are absent and such, but prob wont do much GC-wise still.

Nibali's partner for breakaways in Le Tour.

It's the only fight I want to watch.

 

[pink_jersey]

I never understood why he's so bad when the altitude goes over 1800m.
Cadel Evans used to be like this as well...

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

He look like he has lost a lot of weight since the spring.

Agreed. Wonder if that's a good or bad sign...

He's downplayed his interest in le Tour but the race has never been more open from a GC perspective. Is there enough time for him to build decent form?

This is the type of confusion that Movistar does not need now. I don't think there is any confusion.Valverde has been cleared about it.
If Quintana is bad and Landa shows to be tired from the Giro then it will be another wasted Tour anyway.