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

[Squire]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDDj9WubzFg

Classiest and best rider in the world. The acceleration in Catalunya against Froomey and Contador was epic, the numerous wins against Martin, the ease...

Don't do this to me!

The ease with which he does everything when he's on form is amazing. And the clip of him arriving in his hometown with fans packed along the barriers after that outrageous solo raid is fantastic.

 

[Valv.Piti]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBo-GL9SRg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqrrmev4mA

Cause we need a lil more pop in our lifes.

 

[tobydawq]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBo-GL9SRg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqrrmev4mA

Cause we need a lil more pop in our lifes.

All good things come to an end? Is this some sort of anti-jinx?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Temporary end. Will be firing on all cylinders in Mallorca, then soloing 90 kilometres from home in Murcia!

 

[Asero831]

According to Bala, it will take 8 months for the screws to be removed. So that will be around February. So we may see him in the Ardennes Classics.

 

[tobydawq]

Oh dear. The answer to the "what could have been" question becomes clearer by each day

 

[No_Balls]

Re:

Would have killed it both on La planche and today. Very likely in yellow.

However you choose to look at it this was his moment and everyone knows it,

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Oh dear. The answer to the "what could have been" question becomes clearer by each day

Its insane. Don't tell me Valverde is dropped by this tempo either on Chat or Peyresourde....

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

I'd like to believe he'd be in yellow too, but his showing at Dauphine Probably tells us that is unlikely.

 

[Walkman]

Re: Re:

Would have killed it both on La planche and today. Very likely in yellow.

However you choose to look at it this was his moment and everyone knows it,

No, just no.
You can't say that with a straight face about a guy who has been racing the Tour since 2005 and hasn't been in the yellow jersey since 2008. It's ludicrous. Spring races never tell the whole story because people don't peak for them like they peak for the Tour.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Would have killed it both on La planche and today. Very likely in yellow.

However you choose to look at it this was his moment and everyone knows it,

No, just no.
You can't say that with a straight face about a guy who has been racing the Tour since 2005 and hasn't been in the yellow jersey since 2008. It's ludicrous. Spring races never tell the whole story because people don't peak for them like they peak for the Tour.

I really disagree but there is really no point discussing this. We've been robbed of finding out how he would fare and neither of us would be able to come up with arguments that would prove people on the other side that we are right.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

No just no.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Would have killed it both on La planche and today. Very likely in yellow.

However you choose to look at it this was his moment and everyone knows it,

He would have been slaughtered up the mont du chat

If he hadnt crashed, he'd probs still be behind Quintana on GC

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

Absolutely. Or even if he'd have gone to the Giro again this year, with his spring form, he'd have won that comfortably given the level of competition.

Such a shame the way it played out.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

Absolutely. Or even if he'd have gone to the Giro again this year, with his spring form, he'd have won that comfortably given the level of competition.

Such a shame the way it played out.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Froome would have struggled to beat Dumoulin on that route

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

Absolutely. Or even if he'd have gone to the Giro again this year, with his spring form, he'd have won that comfortably given the level of competition.

Such a shame the way it played out.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Froome would have struggled to beat Dumoulin on that route

Agreed. But Valverde wouldn't have.

 

[Red Rick]

For Valverde, Dan Martin is the perfect reference, as he owns him in every imaginable way.

Now did Martin get recked by anything but Porte?

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

For Valverde, Dan Martin is the perfect reference, as he owns him in every imaginable way.

Except in the last Dauphiné.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

Absolutely. Or even if he'd have gone to the Giro again this year, with his spring form, he'd have won that comfortably given the level of competition.

Such a shame the way it played out.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Froome would have struggled to beat Dumoulin on that route

Agreed. But Valverde wouldn't have.

Not sure about that at all. Considering how poor he was last year whenever the race went into high (2000+) mountains, I doubt he'd have come on the podium. There were very few stages which suited him, and it's not like his spring in 2016 was bad. He was better this year but not by so much he could beat an improved Nibali and an insane Dumoulin.

 

[Walkman]

Re:

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

No it's not. It's a know fact that people don't peak for week races in the spring (like they do for the Tour) and that competition at the Tour is much tougher. And I wasn't saying he wouldn't have been in yellow, I was criticizing the statement that "this was his moment and everybody knew it". Valverde has one GT win, eight years ago. Sure, everything is possible and I would never say definitely no, but why would he be so much better than at the Dauphine?

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

Absolutely. Or even if he'd have gone to the Giro again this year, with his spring form, he'd have won that comfortably given the level of competition.

Such a shame the way it played out.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Froome would have struggled to beat Dumoulin on that route

Agreed. But Valverde wouldn't have.

Not sure about that at all. Considering how poor he was last year whenever the race went into high (2000+) mountains, I doubt he'd have come on the podium. There were very few stages which suited him, and it's not like his spring in 2016 was bad. He was better this year but not by so much he could beat an improved Nibali and an insane Dumoulin.

Well he was the best stage racer in the world from January to April this year, which he has never been before. So I reckon he could have held the form through to May and won comfortably. Pinot and Zakarin were only a minute or so away from winning it after all.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

My god the level of Valverde fanboyism. Valverde the proven GT god.

Valverde is the best rider on the planet for the last 10/15 years. I agree. But on GT's he has always been lacking and I do not see how that would have been any different this year. Now you almost grab the fall as excuse that he suddenly would've proven the opposite.

 

[Walkman]

Re:

My god the level of Valverde fanboyism. Valverde the proven GT god.

Valverde is the best rider on the planet for the last 10/15 years. I agree. But on GT's he has always been lacking and I do not see how that would have been any different this year. Now you almost grab the fall as excuse that he suddenly would've proven the opposite.

Thank you. Some realism after all.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Thats a pretty flawed argument.

Any (almost) of those who have watched cycling regularly the last couple of years knows that this was a genuine possibility considering how everything has played out. Not just for a podium or a stage, but the whole thing.

No it's not. It's a know fact that people don't peak for week races in the spring (like they do for the Tour) and that competition at the Tour is much tougher. And I wasn't saying he wouldn't have been in yellow, I was criticizing the statement that "this was his moment and everybody knew it". Valverde has one GT win, eight years ago. Sure, everything is possible and I would never say definitely no, but why would he be so much better than at the Dauphine?

He has been significantly better after Dauphine, in TdF, post-ban. Which is only natural considering his extremely heavy spring, including peaking for the late April Ardennes-races. If he was firing on all cylinder early June it would be a problem, this year tho he was just out having fun, doing suicidal attacks just for the heck of it in Dauphine. Oozed of confidence.