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

[Lequack]

I am just glad we can still watch this legend of cycling at his best. He could've thrown in the towel for many years now and no one would say that he didn't do this or that, he's done it all! To be competative for so many years must take some hardcore discipline and training. I hope he can still amaze us for a year or two.

 

[Blanco]

I don't think most GT top 10s is an irrelevant record but third-most podiums for a Spaniard, I would agree is not very relevant.

I miss El Pistolero telling us what's what with his records.

Also Vuelta all-time podium record is hardly irrelevant

 

[Valv.Piti]

Its not very often at all you will see Valverde in the protagonists role of attacking that hard for that long, Pogacar and Lopez didnt even consider it going after him. I didnt expect him to do this at all after Muchachos where he disappointed a bit - unfortunately it was not the other way around, otherwise he would probably have won his second stage.

 

[Lequack]

Valverde's numbers are still top notch. I think even Froome, Dumoulin or Nibali would have difficulty with the Vuelta Valverde if they were here.

 

[JosephK]

Soler rescued some time for Valverde, today. It looks like he paid a bit for yesterday's hard effort, but still has about a minute over Pogacar going into the rest day. Keeping 2nd place would seem to become a priority, or even holding onto 3rd if not 2nd.

 

[ice&fire]

Pogacar and Lopez are 17s apart, so if defending 2nd becomes a problem, so does defending 3rd. He may be again in a scenario similar to last year.

 

[tobydawq]

The terrain should be controllable, especially with that Soler dude.

 

[Valv.Piti]

The terrain should be controllable, especially with that Soler dude.

Yuo, its doable, but he will have bad memories of that Madrid stage from 2015. He lost lots and lots of time that year, but was obviously also not as strong as this year in the Vuelta. He should just have Soler by his side at all times, Movistar has won two stages at this point and Soler has had his try to go for glory. Next year Soler will get lots of opportunities - in fact, he already did in this Vuelta GC-wise, but just flunked it completely in Calpe Soler-style on a punchy day. Not enough time for the diesel.
But on this type of climb today, and the rest of the Vuelta, he is absolutely great. As he has been in both GTs this year.

 

[Koronin]

Soler saved him today and hopefully Soler will be this strong for the rest of la Vuelta and at his side for it to keep him in the spot he's in. The 3rd week isn't as tough as last year and tomorrow is a rest day so hopefully he can recover and will be good for this final week.

 

[JosephK]

Soler saved him today and hopefully Soler will be this strong for the rest of la Vuelta and at his side for it to keep him in the spot he's in. The 3rd week isn't as tough as last year and tomorrow is a rest day so hopefully he can recover and will be good for this final week.

This is what I would expect for the final stages. Soler has been outstanding in support of Moviestar's GC efforts.

 

[Nirvana]

IMHO he was pretty good also today considering that was the worst MTF of the race for him and lost only 23", stage 18 and 20 have similar climbs but not as MTF so in a very likely conservative racing shouldn't be a problem, only in case of Roglic sinking i can see Astana going nuke on Cotos or Peña Negra causing trouble for him.

 

[Koronin]

IMHO he was pretty good also today considering that was the worst MTF of the race for him and lost only 23", stage 18 and 20 have similar climbs but not as MTF so in a very likely conservative racing shouldn't be a problem, only in case of Roglic sinking i can see Astana going nuke on Cotos or Peña Negra causing trouble for him.

I had circled this one as to me, the biggest stage for him to get through to be able to have a real chance for that podium. One other good thing for him is the last two mountain stages aren't back to back as they have a more hilly transitional stage between them.

 

[Blanco]

I had circled this one as to me, the biggest stage for him to get through to be able to have a real chance for that podium. One other good thing for him is the last two mountain stages aren't back to back as they have a more hilly transitional stage between them.

I actually think he'll be quite good in them, especially the latter.

 

[Lequack]

Valverde from 11 years ago

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecZTw3LzRY4&t=1h9m28s

 

[Blanco]

Valverde from 11 years ago

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecZTw3LzRY4&t=1h9m28s

Looks like something MathieuVan Der Poel is doing these days..

 

[zlev11]

Valverde from 11 years ago

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecZTw3LzRY4&t=1h9m28s

lol, that's a fun screencap for that video (it's Froome finishing 4:04 behind with his teammate Chuela).

 

[Koronin]

I actually think he'll be quite good in them, especially the latter.

He very well could be good in them. This isn't last year's Vuelta route that was back loaded into the stages 19 and 20. It appears the hardest stages were in week 2 and he did well enough on 16. I think and believe he should be find on these last two mountain stages.

 

[Nirvana]

After today i'm a lot more pessimistic, tomorrow Astana for sure will go hard at least on Cotos (but who knows, in 2015 they made carnage on the same route) to drop Quintana and also Valverde risk to be dropped in the process.

 

[Koronin]

After today i'm a lot more pessimistic, tomorrow Astana for sure will go hard at least on Cotos (but who knows, in 2015 they made carnage on the same route) to drop Quintana and also Valverde risk to be dropped in the process.

So am I. Today Quintana intentionally screwed over his own teammate. If Quintana didn't have such a huge ego Valverde had a great shot at his historic podium. Quintana today rode to prevent that piece of history. Quintana has made another unforgivable mistake. Thankfully he'll be out of the team at the end of the year, but it may be too late.

 

[aphronesis]

Are you done now? You do realize that everytime Valverde has ever lost, for whatever reason, he didn’t make history. It’s his career and life. Not yours. Please stop.

 

[Koronin]

Are you done now? You do realize that everytime Valverde has ever lost, for whatever reason, he didn’t make history. It’s his career and life. Not yours. Please stop.

Valverde has a chance at a piece of history that isn't seen very often yet his own teammate is intentionally riding against him to prevent him from getting that.

 

[Scarponi]

So when it was Valverde doing things like this it was "good to have two men in the GC" but now its Quintana its a bad thing.

It was a tactical masterpiece from Quintana, no one gains 5 minutes ever anymore.

 

[SafeBet]

When was the last time Valverde climbed so good and so consistently for 3 weeks?
Tour 2015 maybe?

I'm impressed.

 

[Noddy97]

It's hard rooting for him sometimes. Why does he need another podium in la vuelta? Can he, for once, try to win the whole thing?

 

[Red Rick]

When was the last time Valverde climbed so good and so consistently for 3 weeks?
Tour 2015 maybe?

I'm impressed.

Got recked a few times but was saved by the route or team in those cases.