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

[roundabout]

Re:

It doesn't look like the same color to me. It looks like the same color normally used for the worlds jersey imo.

The blue in the UCI logo looks darker to me

http://www.uci.org/images/default-source/default-album/uci-logo.svg?sfvrsn=e1388142_0&MaxWidth=280&MaxHeight=70&ScaleUp=false&Quality=High&Method=ResizeFitToAreaArguments&Signature=40E4FB48E2F523970BCDC29B1E5654D9AFF230A8

So boo, Movistar, I guess

 

[ice&fire]

All colours in that UCI logo look darker. Even the black.

 

[roundabout]

A more overcast day, but still the blue looks darker

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DpdvZWsW4AAyWpj.jpg

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

So I gather the UCI hasn't hanged anyone yet for that jersey. Figures.

They had to have gotten it approved. Although I expect some tweaking of it for next year. Somehow they managed to get the UCI to approve the blue stripe being the same as their sponsors color.

As for the rainbow curse, yeah, Sagan proved it's not real. I except BalaArcoíris to get his average of 8 wins next year. (Arcoíris is the Spanish word for rainbow.)

Ofcourse its not real. Its just harder to win when you wear the WC jersey, more a marked man. To be fair it doesnt change much for him as he allready is marked.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

So I gather the UCI hasn't hanged anyone yet for that jersey. Figures.

They had to have gotten it approved. Although I expect some tweaking of it for next year. Somehow they managed to get the UCI to approve the blue stripe being the same as their sponsors color.

As for the rainbow curse, yeah, Sagan proved it's not real. I except BalaArcoíris to get his average of 8 wins next year. (Arcoíris is the Spanish word for rainbow.)

Ofcourse its not real. Its just harder to win when you wear the WC jersey, more a marked man. To be fair it doesnt change much for him as he allready is marked.

Exactly. I can't figure out how he can be anymore of a marked man than he always has been when he shows up at a race. If he shows up for a race he's listed as one of if not the favorite. That won't change and it can't get any worse. He's been racing with that kind of pressure his entire life.

 

[ice&fire]

Different pictures of Sagan -one with Lizzie Deignan also wearing rainbow- with different shades of blue that I doubt can be explained just by different light conditions. I guess that different fabrics react to the same pigments and reflect light in different ways making more difficult the process of correct colour reproduction. Add to that the white balance and colour profile of the cameras used for taking the pictures.

 

[Blanco]

Wow even Gilbert is praising Bala's win: "Valverde is a good winner, I think it was his 7th podium, that's really impressive. He's been there for many years, and he survived everything. i think he deserved this one."

I didn't expect this, the two had some kind of feud at the Dauphine I think, many years ago. And also Gilbert complained in the Ardennes one year, 2013 I think, how Valverde always waits for the sprint. It seems that Great Gilbert and Grande Valverde have buried the hatchets. :razz:

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

Wow even Gilbert is praising Bala's win: "Valverde is a good winner, I think it was his 7th podium, that's really impressive. He's been there for many years, and he survived everything. i think he deserved this one."

I didn't expect this, the two had some kind of feud at the Dauphine I think, many years ago. And also Gilbert complained in the Ardennes one year, 2013 I think, how Valverde always waits for the sprint. It seems that Great Gilbert and Grande Valverde have buried the hatchets. :razz:

I think it's only those who have been in an argument with the legendary now sadly perma-banned El Pistolero who knew about that feud given it was the only real non-Puerto and non-"wait for sprint" ammo he had.

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

Wow even Gilbert is praising Bala's win: "Valverde is a good winner, I think it was his 7th podium, that's really impressive. He's been there for many years, and he survived everything. i think he deserved this one."

I didn't expect this, the two had some kind of feud at the Dauphine I think, many years ago. And also Gilbert complained in the Ardennes one year, 2013 I think, how Valverde always waits for the sprint. It seems that Great Gilbert and Grande Valverde have buried the hatchets. :razz:

I think it's only those who have been in an argument with the legendary now sadly perma-banned El Pistolero who knew about that feud given it was the only real non-Puerto and non-"wait for sprint" ammo he had.

Very likely :lol:

 

[Koronin]

Re:

Wow even Gilbert is praising Bala's win: "Valverde is a good winner, I think it was his 7th podium, that's really impressive. He's been there for many years, and he survived everything. i think he deserved this one."

I didn't expect this, the two had some kind of feud at the Dauphine I think, many years ago. And also Gilbert complained in the Ardennes one year, 2013 I think, how Valverde always waits for the sprint. It seems that Great Gilbert and Grande Valverde have buried the hatchets. :razz:

My guess is it wasn't so much of a feud as Gilbert being frustrated in the way Valverde races. It's well know Valverde typically prefers to rely on his sprint to win races instead of attacking. Now if he's not worried about winning or using a race for training or just to have fun, then he'll be extremely aggressive and attack and not worry about just waiting for the final sprint, but if it's something he's aiming for and has as a goal he'll prefer to wait for the sprint.

 

[Koronin]

Today/last night was the UCI year end Gala to hand out awards. Don Alejandro has now officially been given both the Worlds trophy and the World points trophy. (Well representatives were given the trophies to give to him later as he's at home.) Remember there are two different World points titles. Yates won one of them and Alejandro won the other one.

 

[tobydawq]

Most importantly, though, he obliterated the opposition in the CQRanking, which is of course what really matters.

It was the 13th top 10 (top 6, really) in that ranking, 10th in the top 4, fifth victory. The guy is just a machine. On the all-time list (which is counting from 1999) he has scored more than 50% more than the second-highest ranked rider (Rebellin). 31,681 versus 20,132. Brutal.

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/custom/cqAllTimeRanking.asp

 

[Koronin]

Just add this to his accomplishments. Amazing really. Hmmm....maybe we need to come up with a trophy for him for this as well.

 

[Blanco]

Re:

Most importantly, though, he obliterated the opposition in the CQRanking, which is of course what really matters.

It was the 13th top 10 (top 6, really) in that ranking, 10th in the top 4, fifth victory. The guy is just a machine. On the all-time list (which is counting from 1999) he has scored more than 50% more than the second-highest ranked rider (Rebellin). 31,681 versus 20,132. Brutal.

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/custom/cqAllTimeRanking.asp

At PCS he also won 5 times and has 12 top 10. He won 2 UCI Pro Tour rankings, 2 UCI World Tour rankings and one UCI World Ranking, that's also total of five. Only two other riders in cycling history who could match this results are Eddy Merckx and Sean Kelly.

 

[Bardamu]

Re:

Most importantly, though, he obliterated the opposition in the CQRanking, which is of course what really matters.

It was the 13th top 10 (top 6, really) in that ranking, 10th in the top 4, fifth victory. The guy is just a machine. On the all-time list (which is counting from 1999) he has scored more than 50% more than the second-highest ranked rider (Rebellin). 31,681 versus 20,132. Brutal.

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/custom/cqAllTimeRanking.asp

Mollema the highest ranked Dutch rider at 40th? Damn.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Further homage at home for the Don - The Avenida Nacional N-340 between the outlying village of Laderas del Campillo and the Rotonda 'Homenaje a las Poetas' on the northeastern side of Murcia is to be renamed "Avenida Alejandro Valverde". Fittingly, it ends at the intersection where the N-340 crosses the city's outer ring road, which to the south of Homenaje a las Poetas is named "Avenida Miguel Indurain" (the side of the road to the north is "Avenida Reino de Murcia" but that doesn't fit the cycling theme). This part of town also has a "Calle Alberto Contador", though El Pistolero only gets a small brick-paved alley around the back of some apartments, rather than a major thoroughfare.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Thats cool. Gotta visit Murcia some day.

 

[Koronin]

That's cool. When I eventually make it to Murcia, I have to have my friends show me these roads.

 

[Velolover2]

The worst Tour route possible for Valverde with loong, high altitude climbs: Tourmalet, Galibier, Val Thorens..

Finally no rainbow jersey in the Tour?

 

[WKA311]

Re:

The worst Tour route possible for Valverde with loong, high altitude climbs: Tourmalet, Galibier, Val Thorens..

Finally no rainbow jersey in the Tour?

I hope Unzue and the sponsors don't insist...

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

The worst Tour route possible for Valverde with loong, high altitude climbs: Tourmalet, Galibier, Val Thorens..

Finally no rainbow jersey in the Tour?

I hope Unzue and the sponsors don't insist...

I doubt it this time. Those are Quintana-mountains.

The Giro-Vuelta combo for Valverde seems very likely.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

The worst Tour route possible for Valverde with loong, high altitude climbs: Tourmalet, Galibier, Val Thorens..

Finally no rainbow jersey in the Tour?

I hope Unzue and the sponsors don't insist...

I doubt it this time. Those are Quintana-mountains.

The Giro-Vuelta combo for Valverde seems very likely.

I think with this route even the sponors and Unzue would be stupid to insist on Valverde being at the Tour. It is absolutely not for him. This route is much better for both Quintana and Landa.

I think/hope with this route release Valverde finally gets the Giro/Veulta double and that's regardless of what the Giro route is.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

The worst Tour route possible for Valverde with loong, high altitude climbs: Tourmalet, Galibier, Val Thorens..

Finally no rainbow jersey in the Tour?

I hope Unzue and the sponsors don't insist...

I doubt it this time. Those are Quintana-mountains.

The Giro-Vuelta combo for Valverde seems very likely.

I think with this route even the sponors and Unzue would be stupid to insist on Valverde being at the Tour. It is absolutely not for him. This route is much better for both Quintana and Landa.

I think/hope with this route release Valverde finally gets the Giro/Veulta double and that's regardless of what the Giro route is.

Valverde should definitely avoid the Tour at all cost, but this is Movistar we're talking about.

For me the question is what his goal will be in the Giro. I don't see how he can possibly podium it, and the Giro doesn't really have as many sprint stages for GC contenders, so I think it's better for him to go for breakaways while Soler or Carapaz go for GC.

 

[tobydawq]

He's still a better GC rider than Soler and Carapaz. I think it depends on who else lines up, what he should aim for. But taking the pink jersey in the San Luca prologue is an obvious first target.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

The worst Tour route possible for Valverde with loong, high altitude climbs: Tourmalet, Galibier, Val Thorens..

Finally no rainbow jersey in the Tour?

I hope Unzue and the sponsors don't insist...

I doubt it this time. Those are Quintana-mountains.

The Giro-Vuelta combo for Valverde seems very likely.

I think with this route even the sponors and Unzue would be stupid to insist on Valverde being at the Tour. It is absolutely not for him. This route is much better for both Quintana and Landa.

I think/hope with this route release Valverde finally gets the Giro/Veulta double and that's regardless of what the Giro route is.

Valverde should definitely avoid the Tour at all cost, but this is Movistar we're talking about.

For me the question is what his goal will be in the Giro. I don't see how he can possibly podium it, and the Giro doesn't really have as many sprint stages for GC contenders, so I think it's better for him to go for breakaways while Soler or Carapaz go for GC.

For the Giro I'd think it would be a high GC plus a stage or two somewhere. Although I can also seem him going there also as a teacher/mentor for Soler and/or Carapaz. Oh there's an idea. Instead of sending 3 leaders to the Tour, let's send 3 leaders to the Giro with Valverde, Soler, and Carapaz. Although I think might work better.