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

[icefire]

Horner

Not yet at that level

 

[LaFlorecita]

In all fairness he has been going bald for a while and has done hair implants every off season for the past 2 or 3 years (good god how do i know this kind of stuff?. . . ) so he either gave up the fight or is renewing his hair for another implant sessions.

Honestly if i was him and was earning as much as he does, i would sure as hell be making those implants

I always suspected he got hair implants but didn't know he got them on a regular basis think he'll get some new implants soon.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

From the looks on some faces back there, Rojas has just made a smug joke about Gernika, Intxausti is desperately trying to ignore him and Arrieta is rolling his eyes and working out how to punk Rojas out later.

 

[hrotha]

From the looks on some faces back there, Rojas has just made a smug joke about Gernika, Intxausti is desperately trying to ignore him and Arrieta is rolling his eyes and working out how to punk Rojas out later.

Rojas would never joke about Gernika, only about Guernica.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Rojas would never joke about Gernika, only about Guernica.

Maybe he was laughing at the orthography. "Hey Beñat, hab any bideoak about Gernika?"

 

[The Hitch]

Valverde going to sign for Alonso team?

Seems he's already in bed with Santander.

 

[SlimChance]

Where does Valverde finish in July?

Podium
4th or worse

 

[Parrulo]

Where does Valverde finish in July?

Podium
4th or worse

He will be strong enough to podium, but will pull yet another Valverdada and end up somewhere on the lower places of the top 10.

Typical Valverde

 

[SlimChance]

He will be strong enough to podium, but will pull yet another Valverdada and end up somewhere on the lower places of the top 10.

Typical Valverde

I've still not quite got over the cross winds!

 

[hfer07]

He will be strong enough to podium, but will pull yet another Valverdada and end up somewhere on the lower places of the top 10.

Typical Valverde

Indeed- He'll either get ambushed by Sky in some transition stage, or some huge mistake on his behalf be made....

either way- Valverde ain't of a Tour podium breed-specially the competition he's up against this year

 

[Peter von]

I think he can podium, he is a smarter rider now than when he was younger, he does well at everything and has a devoted team. Sure he has suffered bad luck in the past, but it could just as easily happen to Froome this time around and suddenly Valverde has a shot at the overall victory.

 

[EnacheV]

In his entire career Valverde has won a race by more than 5 seconds on only three occasions (excluding time trials)

is this true? interesting

 

[Beech Mtn]

He will be strong enough to podium, but will pull yet another Valverdada and end up somewhere on the lower places of the top 10.

Typical Valverde

In other words, he'll suddenly decide to stop for a pee break just before the third-to-last sector of cobbles.

 

[Netserk]

is this true? interesting

Wouldn't surprise me. Balaverde relies heavily on his sprint.

 

[EnacheV]

Wouldn't surprise me. Balaverde relies heavily on his sprint.

I'm asking in relation with his bid on TdF 2014. I mean, how are his chances with this style?

 

[Netserk]

I'm asking in relation with his bid on TdF 2014. I mean, how are his chances with this style?

He was never a contender for the win, but for a podium spot.

 

[trevim]

He was never a contender for the win, but for a podium spot.

Why wouldn't he be a contender? Imagine Froome looses 10min on the cobbles. He was one of the best climbers last year, he has enough talent to win.

Wouldn't surprise me. Balaverde relies heavily on his sprint.

Maybe he relies a bit too much and that's why he didn't win nothing worthwhile last season.

 

[Netserk]

Why wouldn't he be a contender? Imagine Froome looses 10min on the cobbles. He was one of the best climbers last year, he has enough talent to win.

I do think he might have the legs to contend, but because of the way he rides, he will never contend for the win at the Tour.

 

[trevim]

I do think he might have the legs to contend, but because of the way he rides, he will never contend for the win at the Tour.

Mentality wise I agree that he probably doesn't have it.

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Why wouldn't he be a contender? Imagine Froome looses 10min on the cobbles. He was one of the best climbers last year, he has enough talent to win.

Maybe he relies a bit too much and that's why he didn't win nothing worthwhile last season.

10 minutes? thats the difference between Cancellara and Jack Bauer at Paris Roubaix last year and JB didnt have le tour on the line to motivate him. it seems more likely that there would be some sort of King-Ralph scenario where all the real GC contenders are electrocuted during a press event leaving Piti to duke it out with AC for the win.

 

[trevim]

10 minutes? thats the difference between Cancellara and Jack Bauer at Paris Roubaix last year and JB didnt have le tour on the line to motivate him. it seems more likely that there would be some sort of King-Ralph scenario where all the real GC contenders are electrocuted during a press event leaving Piti to duke it out with AC for the win.

So Valverde and Contador are two posers right, they have done nothing in the past that suggest they can win?

 

[The Hitch]

Valverde has podiumed in the last year

Amstel Gold Race
Liege Bastogne Liege
Classica San Sebastian
Giro di Lombardia.
World Championship
Strade Bianchi

without winning any of them or ever looking like winning any of them.

Thats every major hilly race with the exception of Fleche Wallone. In every single case he does it by winning the sprint behind the rider(s) contesting victory.

I think he's content to just get on the podium in any big race and pick up the money, not caring for the win. He hasn't even won a single event outside the Spanish domestic scene since 2012, and since his comeback he has had a total of 2 wins outside of Spain (one of which was on the border)

 

[Carols]

Valverde has podiumed in the last year

Amstel Gold Race
Liege Bastogne Liege
Classica San Sebastian
Giro di Lombardia.
World Championship
Strade Bianchi

That is a palmares that 95+% of the peloton would be joyful to have. Even without the stage race placings!

 

[Arredondo]

That is a palmares that 95+% of the peloton would be joyful to have. Even without the stage race placings!

Yeah, but 95% of the pro peloton did not won the Vuelta, 2x LBL, Fleche and major stage races before collecting all those podium places.

 

[Jspear]

Yeah, but 95% of the pro peloton did not won the Vuelta, 2x LBL, Fleche and major stage races before collecting all those podium places.

He is still a good stage racer. In recent years he has won multiple stages of the Vuelta, he has won the points jersey(last 2x), and 3 times he has won the Vuelta A Andalucia blah blah blah race.