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

[GuyIncognito]

Betancur is disgusted with Valverde.

Complaining about free food...

 

[Scarponi]

Whats with Spanish athletes? The amount of excuses Valverde and Nadal come up with is hilarious

 

[Summoned]

I was watching the finish of Flèche earlier today before I saw the report of the bee, and Valverde’s face looks a completely unnatural and unhealthy color at the line. I was trying to figure out what was going on, ‘cause it was so prominent that the only things I came up with were a mask or extreme sunblock, neither of which made sense. The bee story really does seems credible to me.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Re: Re:

These excuses lately are becoming a bit Contador-esque. As with Contador, I think it could mean that he can't find any other explanation for his declining form, and hasn't accepted yet that he's just getting too old.

Still, the change of course at LBL has probably done him a favour. Now he might have an outside chance with his sprint, whereas I don't think he'd have any chance on the old finish in Ans.

He said he wouldn't use it definitively as an excuse and that he had been below par at Flèche and very much so at Amstel. You don't think being stung by a bee can influence badly on performance just a teensy tiny bit?

And @Koronin:

Why on earth would he crash? It's not a bear that flew in from the side of the road to tackle him.

Something like 15 years ago a group of pigeons was enough for me to crash into a wall :lol:
And wasn't even the only time i crashed because of animals.

Once a butterfly saw fit to enter my mouth while I was riding my bike. It did not taste good but I wasn't particularly close to crashing either...

That is unpleasant but isn't close to a bee flying in your mouth and stinging you. When I said it earlier before Koronin, I meant he could crash from the surprise and being stung. If it was me, I would have had panic attack and crashed as I don't like bugs but Valverde is cut from a tougher mold than I.

 

[Akuryo]

C̶h̶u̶c̶k̶ ̶N̶o̶r̶r̶i̶s̶ Alejandro Valverde doesnt eat honey, he chews on bees.

 

[tobydawq]

The guy practically lives on a bike. I would think his body would know how to not crash even if he got scared...

 

[Red Rick]

He sure it was a bee, and not a wasp?

 

[Cookster15]

Whats with Spanish athletes? The amount of excuses Valverde and Nadal come up with is hilarious

Excuse? And you know this how? So you either a) think Alejandro made up the bee story or else b) you think swallowing a bee that stings you in the oesophagus mid race is nothing and he should man up and deal with it?

I am sure I can think of about 100 better excuses than swallowing a bee.

 

[Screecher]

First DNF since 2017 TdF crash.

 

[Velolover2]

Yates dropped?!

 

[Scarponi]

Whats with Spanish athletes? The amount of excuses Valverde and Nadal come up with is hilarious

Excuse? And you know this how? So you either a) think Alejandro made up the bee story or else b) you think swallowing a bee that stings you in the oesophagus mid race is nothing and he should man up and deal with it?

I am sure I can think of about 100 better excuses than swallowing a bee.

Everytime he loses he dribbles to media about something, regardless of this scenario is true or not the statement still stands

 

[*G*K*S]

Re: Re:

Apparently he swallowed a bee and was stung by it inside his mouth in the final part of Flèche Wallonne. That doesn't sound particularly pleasant.

He felt like giving everyone else an even playing field.

That is unfortunate though and good thing he didn't try swallowing it or crash when it went in his mouth. That would have freaked me out.

It's happened to me as well. Was stung on my tongue. Not nice!!

 

[yaco]

Believe that Movistar need to reset Valverde - Give him a break and therefore forget about the Giro and the TDF - Reset his goals for a strong Vuelta, Worlds and Italian fall races.

 

[tobydawq]

Now he says that he crashed Thursday and damaged his sacrum but had to try today and hope for a miracle. Maybe an excuse, probably the truth (why else would he say it?).

I honestly don't really care if he rides the Giro at this point and I actually agree with yaco.

 

[Koronin]

No mention of a training crash at all until after the race today does seem a bit odd. Also they said something about him having been sick after Fleche Wallonne, then a mention of a crash that they never said anything about before as well. Something seems off about it.

I also agree with yuco. They need to give him a total reset and have not race again until after the Tour. The only race between now and after the Tour I'd even consider allowing him to race is the National Championships and that's simply because it is the National Championships.

 

[Red Rick]

Riding around with a damaged sacrum. Cyclists are bloody madmen. Take a break Alejandro.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Oh ffs, missing the Giro now seems like a real option. I really looked forward to seeing him in the early part of the race. This season must really be a nightmare for him, especially this Ardennes-campaign. Really feel for him. No Giro will almost certainly mean Tour as well

 

[yaco]

Unzue states Valverde will be riding the Giro - Could give him a limited program for the next three months by riding Dauphine/Suisse and then Poland before the Vuelta - Will be interesting to see his form in the Giro.

 

[Koronin]

From what Unzue said, unless Alejandro actually broke any bones they still plan on sending him to the Giro, but there's no way he's going to be in any kind of good form for it. This has been nothing more than a nightmare. He just needs to go home and recover. Truthfully with the injury I don't understand why he didn't already have it x-rayed and why they didn't send him home at the time instead of letting him race today.

 

[Salvarani]

He is not a spring chicken anymore.

They need to manage him a bit better than letting him race too many races and always having the pressure of delivering results for them. If he indeed was injured it was bad a decision to let him start, but maybe he is calling the shots anyway.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

He is not a spring chicken anymore.

They need to manage him a bit better than letting him race too many races and always having the pressure of delivering results for them. If he indeed was injured it was bad a decision to let him start, but maybe he is calling the shots anyway.

It's been thought for years (and actually confirmed maybe a year or two ago) that he basically gets whatever races he wants to go to. Having said that, I still can't understand how they cleared him to race if they want an x-ray after he gets home. If they wanted the x-ray why not do it before today. They could have gotten him one on Friday if not sometime after the crash on Thursday.

 

[HelloDolly]

He could be one of those riders that if he stops racing for too long he cant get going again ..he might actually prefer to ride the Giro than be at home ..he could find form and win a stage

I am sure that Valverde is calling the shots not Movistar and he goes where he wants to go

 

[Koronin]

Re:

He could be one of those riders that if he stops racing for too long he cant get going again ..he might actually prefer to ride the Giro than be at home ..he could find form and win a stage

I am sure that Valverde is calling the shots not Movistar and he goes where he wants to go

It's possible he is and that's part of why he races so much to begin with. I have a bigger issue with why wasn't the x-ray already done if they are wanted one done.


I thought it was more or less known that Valverde calls the shots at the team not anyone else other than Mr Unzue and it's been known for awhile if you want to know what is actually going on there listen to Valverde and Unzue. In 2016 when Valverde did all 3 GTs because he wanted to, I thought that basically confirmed he races where and when he wants to and the team lets him dictate what he's doing. I'm remember Alex Dowsett saying that all the riders get about 70% of the calendar they want. He also said that Valverde's calendar is set first and everyone else's is based off of his.

 

[Tim Booth]

Alejandro Valverde could forfeit the Giro, reports the Gazzetta Dello Sport

update:
Yesterday Valverde was subjected to radiographs in Murcia to examine the area damaged by his fall last Thursday.
The tests confirmed a bone edema in the sacrum. His presence in the Giro is under evaluation

 

[Koronin]

Which leads back to the question of why they didn't do the tests on Friday last week and send him home instead of having him race LBL.