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Yes, Worlds, Ardennes, Vuelta... Classic Valverde.Mo MSR and Lombardia? Wonder if he is really going all-in for the Worlds
Mo MSR and Lombardia? Wonder if he is really going all-in for the Worlds
I cannot remember a GT where Valverde lost time on purpose to hunt stages. Even when he isn´t good enough to contend he usually just tries to hang on as long as possible. Usually it works out and he sneaks into the top 10 or at least top 15 in the 3rd week.
He never has. His personality and mentality won't allow him to. He was supposed to lose time in 2016, 2018, and 2019 to go stage hunting and never could bring himself to do it.
He was crap in the mountains, he rode the time trial like a tourist and sinked in the echelons even more than the following year.I remember browsing through Valverde's 2012 Tour results and I couldn't seem to find where the hell he lost the 40 minutes lol.
I imagine a few of the stages that suit him are actually very hard to predict in if it's gonna go to the break or notYes, at this stage winning a Tour stage seems hard against the favourites, even though lots of finishes seem to favour him this year. He will need to give up the GC to go for glory in stages and this year might just be the year where he realises that the competition is very stiff and he is 40 years old. He will be flying in the Vuelta as usual though, Im pretty sure of that and thats enough for me.
He has to be the favorite for the Nationals