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

[Koronin]

Re:

It wasn't really a lack of legs that costed him a podium place, so I doubt that.

We have no idea if he was thinking as quickly as he may otherwise have been and thus may not have reacted to something he might have otherwise reacted to. That's something we'll never know because he won't use the travel issues as an excuse, even though he legitimately could.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

It wasn't really a lack of legs that costed him a podium place, so I doubt that.

We have no idea if he was thinking as quickly as he may otherwise have been and thus may not have reacted to something he might have otherwise reacted to. That's something we'll never know because he won't use the travel issues as an excuse, even though he legitimately could.

Yes, we don't know, so we can't say he would have likely been on the podium if not for the travel issues (or poor planning)

 

[mariposa]

Re: Re:

Driving in the US/Canada is quite different than driving in Europe (automatic vs. stick, wide straight roads vs. curvy narrow roads).
Anyway, Valverde is doing better so far than expected by me.[/quote]

That's a bit of a generalisation. There are lots of straight fast motorways and wide main roads and a high proportion of cars have automatic gearboxes and cruise control in Europe. Speed limits on these roads are generally also higher than they are in North America. I have driven from one end of Spain to the other in 8 hours and not exceeded any speed limits. True here are also a lot of curvy roads as well but generally not between major cities.

The thing that surprised me was that Alejandro left it so late to travel. I thought that he would have gone on Thursday afternoon or evening at the latest.

Anyway it was a great race to watch and a very good win for Tiesj Benoot. Valverde did well to get 4th.

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

I think Valverde had a strong race. He was about 4/5th favorite going in, so he did fine. Better than most.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I think Valverde had a strong race. He was about 4/5th favorite going in, so he did fine. Better than most.

Definitely. All of the biggest favourites were pretty nonexsistent today apart from Valverde which made it hard for him in the situation. Sagan played it very passively, Kwito had no legs and sent Moscon up the road, GVA weren't there. He didn't really have any alliances. In hindsight, they should have used Amador much better, but thats easy to say.

 

[Serpentin]

He looked really thin today. Like he lost weight.

 

[mariposa]

Re: Re:

I think Valverde had a strong race. He was about 4/5th favorite going in, so he did fine. Better than most.

Definitely. All of the biggest favourites were pretty nonexsistent today apart from Valverde which made it hard for him in the situation. Sagan played it very passively, Kwito had no legs and sent Moscon up the road, GVA weren't there. He didn't really have any alliances. In hindsight, they should have used Amador much better, but thats easy to say.

I agree. On the Amador point he has said he had to take a bike change, not sure when exactly, and Rojas also apparently had a mechanical at 50 K to go.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Driving in the US/Canada is quite different than driving in Europe (automatic vs. stick, wide straight roads vs. curvy narrow roads).
Anyway, Valverde is doing better so far than expected by me.

That's a bit of a generalisation. There are lots of straight fast motorways and wide main roads and a high proportion of cars have automatic gearboxes and cruise control in Europe. Speed limits on these roads are generally also higher than they are in North America. I have driven from one end of Spain to the other in 8 hours and not exceeded any speed limits. True here are also a lot of curvy roads as well but generally not between major cities.

The thing that surprised me was that Alejandro left it so late to travel. I thought that he would have gone on Friday afternoon or evening at the latest.

Anyway it was a great race to watch and a very good win for Tiesj Benoot. Valverde did well to get 4th.[/quote]

He was at the Barcelona airport Friday morning. The overbooked flight was supposed to leave (at least my understanding of what Natalia said) around 11am. The only flight to Florence they could find that wasn't booked and they could get tickets on left from Barcelona late Friday. They were basically stuck at the airport all day. However, I agree with you about why he left so late. I thought they would have had him on a flight on Thursday.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

I think Valverde had a strong race. He was about 4/5th favorite going in, so he did fine. Better than most.

Definitely. All of the biggest favourites were pretty nonexsistent today apart from Valverde which made it hard for him in the situation. Sagan played it very passively, Kwito had no legs and sent Moscon up the road, GVA weren't there. He didn't really have any alliances. In hindsight, they should have used Amador much better, but thats easy to say.

I agree. On the Amador point he has said he had to take a bike change, not sure when exactly, and Rojas also apparently had a mechanical at 50 K to go.

Amador said on twitter he had to change bikes on the same section he's had bike issues for the past 2 straight years. Obviously he has an issue with whichever section that is.

 

[Angliru]

Re:

Love it, it’s always soneones else’s fault when Valverde doesn’t win

Yeah. I blame you with all this negative energy. What a perpetual dark cloud.

 

[Angliru]

Re:

I think Valverde had a strong race. He was about 4/5th favorite going in, so he did fine. Better than most.

I agree. He's made a remarkable return from his injuries and is racing at an elite level.

 

[Angliru]

Re:

Love it, it’s always soneones else’s fault when Valverde doesn’t win

Sky had a fine day of racing.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

I think Valverde had a strong race. He was about 4/5th favorite going in, so he did fine. Better than most.

Definitely. All of the biggest favourites were pretty nonexsistent today apart from Valverde which made it hard for him in the situation. Sagan played it very passively, Kwito had no legs and sent Moscon up the road, GVA weren't there. He didn't really have any alliances. In hindsight, they should have used Amador much better, but thats easy to say.

I agree. On the Amador point he has said he had to take a bike change, not sure when exactly, and Rojas also apparently had a mechanical at 50 K to go.

Amador said on twitter he had to change bikes on the same section he's had bike issues for the past 2 straight years. Obviously he has an issue with whichever section that is.

Okay, thats easy to say. And unfortunate. But honestly, everyone and their souls should ride for Valverde. He is just that good. We are talking Tom Boonen in his peak minus Stijn Devolder!

 

[Kwibus]

What I like about Valverde is that his team most likely preferred that he didn't start at the Strade, yet despite the horrible weather predictions he decides he wants to race it.

It's a shame the big names eliminated themselves yesterday, allthough I don't think he would've beaten Benoot anyways.

 

[El Pistolero]

What I like about Valverde is that his team most likely preferred that he didn't start at the Strade, yet despite the horrible weather predictions he decides he wants to race it.

It's a shame the big names eliminated themselves yesterday, allthough I don't think he would've beaten Benoot anyways.

It's not like Movistar has much of a choice, they're far too dependent on Valverde and once he retires they will not recover.

Spanish cycling scene is on its last legs.

 

[Asero831]

He will not be riding Basque Country so we might see him in Flanders.
It seems that most of the Ardennes specialist will be using ToBC as a warm-up race.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

He will not be riding Basque Country so we might see him in Flanders.
It seems that most of the Ardennes specialist will be using ToBC as a warm-up race.

He did earlier this year that Flanders is tentatively on his schedule. I think in some ways it's as much about riding some cobbles before the Tour cobble stage as using it as an Ardennes warmup depending on which rider you're referring to. However, in Alejandro's case it's more of a You haven't raced it yet, you need to try it at least once.

 

[Arredondo]

What I like about Valverde is that his team most likely preferred that he didn't start at the Strade, yet despite the horrible weather predictions he decides he wants to race it.

It's a shame the big names eliminated themselves yesterday, allthough I don't think he would've beaten Benoot anyways.

It's not like Movistar has much of a choice, they're far too dependent on Valverde and once he retires they will not recover.

Spanish cycling scene is on its last legs.

I don't believe that really.

Soler, Mas, Roson, Cortina ... there's still plenty of talent that will flourish.

And Spain has got a strong 'sub-generation' including the Izagirre brother's, Herrada, Landa and De La Cruz. For sure, it's not as good as the previous generation (Valverde, Contador, Purito, Samu, Freire and Lulu), but we're talking about a bunch of very good riders who can win a lot of races. It's not realistic anyway to think a generation of Valv, Purito and Berto repeates itself every 10 years.

Spanish cycling scene will be fine for the next decade. You just have to limit expecations a little bit.

 

[Koronin]

What I like about Valverde is that his team most likely preferred that he didn't start at the Strade, yet despite the horrible weather predictions he decides he wants to race it.

It's a shame the big names eliminated themselves yesterday, allthough I don't think he would've beaten Benoot anyways.

It's not like Movistar has much of a choice, they're far too dependent on Valverde and once he retires they will not recover.

Spanish cycling scene is on its last legs.

I don't believe that really.

Soler, Mas, Roson, Cortina ... there's still plenty of talent that will flourish.

And Spain has got a strong 'sub-generation' including the Izagirre brother's, Herrada, Landa and De La Cruz. For sure, it's not as good as the previous generation (Valverde, Contador, Purito, Samu, Freire and Lulu), but we're talking about a bunch of very good riders who can win a lot of races. It's not realistic anyway to think a generation of Valv, Purito and Berto repeates itself every 10 years.

Spanish cycling scene will be fine for the next decade. You just have to limit expecations a little bit.

First part: Yes Movistar is over reliant on Valverde. They have admitted it. They know it and they aren't really willing to do anything about it. However, they do know this. For that reason they've joked that they won't let Valverde retire ever. We've seen this play out twice, both during Valverde's suspension and again this past summer after he got hurt. He got hurt at the Tour and the team completely collapsed. Now, I actually do think this is a part of why they brought Landa is. No one knows how much longer Valverde can race for and Movistar basically has said they're going to ride him for as long as they can.

Sencond part: Spanish cycling actually is in OK shape. The generation that is following Contador/Valverde/Purito is not bad. Landa, the Herrada and Izagirre brothers, Castroviejo, and some others are capable of winning stages and even races. Then the next group of Spanish riders may be a bit closer to the current generation that is process of retiring with Mas and Soler. However, you can't expect to have basically 2 dominate riders at the same time from any one country no matter what kind of tradition in cycling that country has. Spain was lucky over the past decade plus to have this specific group of exceptionally talented riders.

 

[Angliru]

What I like about Valverde is that his team most likely preferred that he didn't start at the Strade, yet despite the horrible weather predictions he decides he wants to race it.

It's a shame the big names eliminated themselves yesterday, allthough I don't think he would've beaten Benoot anyways.

It's not like Movistar has much of a choice, they're far too dependent on Valverde and once he retires they will not recover.

Spanish cycling scene is on its last legs.

This generation has been almost the golden age of Spanish cycling and a drop off is to be expected. Before Valverde, Friere and Purito they were virtually non-existent in the classics, with their focus being on primarily stage racing and excelling in the mountains. Astarloa, Mayo, and Etxabarria of the previous generation had their brief moments in the classics and one day races but nothing like what is there now and was there prior to Friere's retirement. Add Contador and Sammie Sanchez to the mix and they are very hard act to follow.

 

[El Pistolero]

What I like about Valverde is that his team most likely preferred that he didn't start at the Strade, yet despite the horrible weather predictions he decides he wants to race it.

It's a shame the big names eliminated themselves yesterday, allthough I don't think he would've beaten Benoot anyways.

It's not like Movistar has much of a choice, they're far too dependent on Valverde and once he retires they will not recover.

Spanish cycling scene is on its last legs.

I don't believe that really.

Soler, Mas, Roson, Cortina ... there's still plenty of talent that will flourish.

And Spain has got a strong 'sub-generation' including the Izagirre brother's, Herrada, Landa and De La Cruz. For sure, it's not as good as the previous generation (Valverde, Contador, Purito, Samu, Freire and Lulu), but we're talking about a bunch of very good riders who can win a lot of races. It's not realistic anyway to think a generation of Valv, Purito and Berto repeates itself every 10 years.

Spanish cycling scene will be fine for the next decade. You just have to limit expecations a little bit.

That's really nothing compared to Belgium with Wellens, Tiesj Benoot, Wout Van Aert, Naesen, Dylan Teuns, etc.

Not to mention Van Avermaet and Gilbert.

 

[Koronin]

What I like about Valverde is that his team most likely preferred that he didn't start at the Strade, yet despite the horrible weather predictions he decides he wants to race it.

It's a shame the big names eliminated themselves yesterday, allthough I don't think he would've beaten Benoot anyways.

It's not like Movistar has much of a choice, they're far too dependent on Valverde and once he retires they will not recover.

Spanish cycling scene is on its last legs.

I don't believe that really.

Soler, Mas, Roson, Cortina ... there's still plenty of talent that will flourish.

And Spain has got a strong 'sub-generation' including the Izagirre brother's, Herrada, Landa and De La Cruz. For sure, it's not as good as the previous generation (Valverde, Contador, Purito, Samu, Freire and Lulu), but we're talking about a bunch of very good riders who can win a lot of races. It's not realistic anyway to think a generation of Valv, Purito and Berto repeates itself every 10 years.

Spanish cycling scene will be fine for the next decade. You just have to limit expecations a little bit.

That's really nothing compared to Belgium with Wellens, Tiesj Benoot, Wout Van Aert, Naesen, Dylan Teuns, etc.

Not to mention Van Avermaet and Gilbert.

Gilbert and Van Avermaet are in their 30's. Gilbert is 35 and Van Avermaet is 32. So you're including them and not Valverde who isn't that much older?

 

[joe_papp]

Just curious, what are Valverde's business interests outside of cycling, if any?

(That is, besides earning income as an athlete, has he developed or invested in any projects outside of sport? For example, LeMond was into property, restaurants, consumer fitness equipment, some other stuff I don't remember, etc...)

 

[Koronin]

Just curious, what are Valverde's business interests outside of cycling, if any?

(That is, besides earning income as an athlete, has he developed or invested in any projects outside of sport? For example, LeMond was into property, restaurants, consumer fitness equipment, some other stuff I don't remember, etc...)

What he's doing when he's not racing or training is running the amateur team he owns and has done some organizing of races for the those teams. His amateur team consists of 3 teams: the school, the cadets and a Junior team and he's said he'd like to eventually add a U 23 team to it. When asked about what he'd have done if he couldn't have been a cyclist his response has always been, I was born to race my bike. So to answer your question everything for him is completely centered around cycling in one way or another. The only thing he has said is that he wants no part of being a director.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I will hope he goes the Contador-way, starting a Spanish PCT team, he has laid the foundations with the team he has now. I definitely think he still will be involved in racing in some way or the other, maybe also something with Movistar. But there's at least 5 years until that, right.