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

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What will Valverde's impact be the cycling world in 2012

  • Nuclear Holocoust

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He just lacks some form atm. Maybe he wanted to return on a high level too soon, which means he's drained out now.

A difference too is that the Ardennes classics were raced way more agressively this year comparing last years. It's way more difficult for Valverde and Movistar to control things, especially when the team is weaker with the departure of the Izagirre and Herrada brothers, Castroviejo and others. Eventually it means that Valverde has to use his energy really early, and then it's really difficult to make the right choices in the end.
 
They've lost too many good riders over the past two years. A mass exodus from the team which is very unusual for them. Thus leading to believe there are some major problems at that team right now. Unfortunately it's also screwing Valverde out of some major history which is the worst part.

Yes he may have come back at too high of a level of form too soon, which is likely, esp since he said he was cramping from about the halfway point of the race. He can fix this for next year. What he can't fix is the disaster this team is turning into right now.
 
Re:

Koronin said:
They've lost too many good riders over the past two years. A mass exodus from the team which is very unusual for them. Thus leading to believe there are some major problems at that team right now. Unfortunately it's also screwing Valverde out of some major history which is the worst part.

Yes he may have come back at too high of a level of form too soon, which is likely, esp since he said he was cramping from about the halfway point of the race. He can fix this for next year. What he can't fix is the disaster this team is turning into right now.

The issue is reasonably straightforward: you can’t pay three very expensive leaders and a quality cadre of support riders and prospects unless you have a huge budget. They spent their high end domestique money on Landa.

As for whether Valverde can get back to his Spring 2017 level, maybe, but time gets everyone in the end. 39 is old. That fact also helps explain why they would spend so much of their money on an otherwise extraneous young Spanish leader.
 
Re: Re:

Zinoviev Letter said:
Koronin said:
They've lost too many good riders over the past two years. A mass exodus from the team which is very unusual for them. Thus leading to believe there are some major problems at that team right now. Unfortunately it's also screwing Valverde out of some major history which is the worst part.

Yes he may have come back at too high of a level of form too soon, which is likely, esp since he said he was cramping from about the halfway point of the race. He can fix this for next year. What he can't fix is the disaster this team is turning into right now.

The issue is reasonably straightforward: you can’t pay three very expensive leaders and a quality cadre of support riders and prospects unless you have a huge budget. They spent their high end domestique money on Landa.

As for whether Valverde can get back to his Spring 2017 level, maybe, but time gets everyone in the end. 39 is old. That fact also helps explain why they would spend so much of their money on an otherwise extraneous young Spanish leader.

He's not 39. He turns 38 in a couple of days. He'll turn 39 NEXT April.

Also at almost 38 he happens be the only one on the team giving them any real results. They do need a young Spanish leader, which I think they are hoping Soler turns out to be. Truthfully I think they'd have been better off not keeping Quintana, not signing Landa, keeping the Izagirre brothers and turning to young Spanish talent like Soler to develop.
 
Re:

Sartorius said:
He didn't win LBL and people are starting to talk about his retirement :-D You guys are funny :-D It's cycling, there are like 1000000000000 factors influencing the race. Also it looks like Valverde is not peaking at spring as hard as in past. And it also looks like he improved his climbing while sacrificing little bit of his anaerobic capabilities. He will have big win this year, don't worry :)

Big win, such as... the overall and two stages at the Volta a Catalunya? :p
 
Re: Re:

RedheadDane said:
Sartorius said:
He didn't win LBL and people are starting to talk about his retirement :-D You guys are funny :-D It's cycling, there are like 1000000000000 factors influencing the race. Also it looks like Valverde is not peaking at spring as hard as in past. And it also looks like he improved his climbing while sacrificing little bit of his anaerobic capabilities. He will have big win this year, don't worry :)

Big win, such as... the overall and two stages at the Volta a Catalunya? :p
And big win in Abu Dhabi Tour also.
He had tally collected 8 very very important WT stages races win. :idea:
 
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Re:

RedheadDane said:
Abu Dhabi is one of those silly WT races, whereas Catalunya is a 100+ year old race that has been WT since there was something called WT.
Still doesn't make it a big win. It's a few levels below Paris-nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Criterium du Dauphiné, Vuelta al Pais Vasco and even Tour de Suisse.
 
Re: Re:

El Pistolero said:
RedheadDane said:
Abu Dhabi is one of those silly WT races, whereas Catalunya is a 100+ year old race that has been WT since there was something called WT.
Still doesn't make it a big win. It's a few levels below Paris-nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Criterium du Dauphiné, Vuelta al Pais Vasco and even Tour de Suisse.

Maybe, rather than Catalunya not being big, it's simply those other races that are biger. ;)
 
Re: Re:

Blanco said:
tobydawq said:
One week ago, Paris-Nice wasn't a big race either. Which means that Catalunya is the teensiest tiniest little unimportant 100 year old WT race.

Exactly. And I think that a rider with most wins this season in fact didn't win anything :p

No he didn't because it was either sprint, unimportant races or fictitiously unimportant races so they obviously don't count. Viviani is the real leader with six solid victories.
 
Re: Re:

tobydawq said:
Blanco said:
tobydawq said:
One week ago, Paris-Nice wasn't a big race either. Which means that Catalunya is the teensiest tiniest little unimportant 100 year old WT race.

Exactly. And I think that a rider with most wins this season in fact didn't win anything :p

No he didn't because it was either sprint, unimportant races or fictitiously unimportant races so they obviously don't count. Viviani is the real leader with six solid victories.

LOL, it's amazing isn't it?
 
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Re:

tobydawq said:
One week ago, Paris-Nice wasn't a big race either. Which means that Catalunya is the teensiest tiniest little unimportant 100 year old WT race.
Age alone doesn't make a race important. Milano-Torino is even older, but that doesn't make it important. Y'all were overhyping Valverde A LOT before the start of the Ardennes based on his performances in these weak ass Spanish races. Sure he has 9 wins this season, but he doesn't come close to Sagan's season so far (3 wins).
 
How long have some of you folks been on this forum? Can't believe you lot still let El Pisti rile you up. Bala could win all 5 monumemts and all 3 grand tours in a season and Pisti still would not have a good word to say about Him.
 
Re:

Eli said:
How long have some of you folks been on this forum? Can't believe you lot still let El Pisti rile you up. Bala could win all 5 monumemts and all 3 grand tours in a season and Pisti still would not have a good word to say about Him.

You're right. For me I've only been here for a few months. I have to keep reminding myself to ignore him. Doesn't always work.
 
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Re:

Eli said:
How long have some of you folks been on this forum? Can't believe you lot still let El Pisti rile you up. Bala could win all 5 monumemts and all 3 grand tours in a season and Pisti still would not have a good word to say about Him.
Because such a feat would only be possible on a motorbike lol. What good is there to say of someone with his past? Y'all treat him like a hero when he's obviously anything but. Some of you were claiming he came back stronger than ever after his crash last year... he's not a god damn saiyan lol. Funnily enough those same people are now using his crash last year as an excuse for why he wasn't good enough in the Ardennes this year... hypocrites. You also don't have to capitalize the H in "him", he's not a God lol.
 
Re: Re:

Koronin said:
Zinoviev Letter said:
Koronin said:
They've lost too many good riders over the past two years. A mass exodus from the team which is very unusual for them. Thus leading to believe there are some major problems at that team right now. Unfortunately it's also screwing Valverde out of some major history which is the worst part.

Yes he may have come back at too high of a level of form too soon, which is likely, esp since he said he was cramping from about the halfway point of the race. He can fix this for next year. What he can't fix is the disaster this team is turning into right now.

The issue is reasonably straightforward: you can’t pay three very expensive leaders and a quality cadre of support riders and prospects unless you have a huge budget. They spent their high end domestique money on Landa.

As for whether Valverde can get back to his Spring 2017 level, maybe, but time gets everyone in the end. 39 is old. That fact also helps explain why they would spend so much of their money on an otherwise extraneous young Spanish leader.

He's not 39. He turns 38 in a couple of days. He'll turn 39 NEXT April.

Yes, I know. He will be just a few days short of 39 during the next Ardennes week, which is what I was talking about.
 
Re:

Eli said:
How long have some of you folks been on this forum? Can't believe you lot still let El Pisti rile you up. Bala could win all 5 monumemts and all 3 grand tours in a season and Pisti still would not have a good word to say about Him.

I'm not riled up, just amused/confused by this constant changing around of what's considered a big race.

And for the record, I don't see Valverde as a hero, I just see him as a regular bike rider who is sometimes good, sometimes bad.
However, what I don't see any reason to either is painting him as a villain. In fact there are very few professional bike riders I see any reason to paint as a villain, would probably have to murder someone for that to happen...

Valverde may not have come back stronger than ever after his crash, but he certainly came back stronger than expected! Understandably, since it was feared that he wouldn't be able to come back.
 

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