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It's not a confirmation of him doing Amstel, but he's not in Movistar lineup for Valencia
You might wanna read this...
Valverde re-opens possibility of adding extra year to career
Former world champion mulls over 21st pro season
www.cyclingnews.com
Yes zero. The way the circuit is, he can't win on it. His from is at best 2019 levels and he couldn't win on this circuit in his best form from his best year. The way this course is is suited to the cobbled riders even more than it typically is. Plus he's broken his promise to Valencia.
Sad that he didn't consult with you. He is in his best form in a year and a half right before one of the three races which are glaring gaps in his palmares (Strade and Lombardia are the other two), so it certainly makes sense. Also, maybe rewatch the 2018 race before saying he is certainly without chance.
You might wanna read this...
Valverde re-opens possibility of adding extra year to career
Former world champion mulls over 21st pro season
That specific reference was if this season's calendar ended up as screwed up as last year. That specific reason doesn't hold any weight any more. He would need a different reason to extend his career like his level stays where it currently is through the Vuelta.
He's well below his 2018 form and this is a less difficult circuit they are racing. Also his sprint isn't where it was in 2018 and I'm not convinced it's even where it was in 2019. This is a circuit for Sagan and that type of rider.
He probably didn't make an unbreakable contract with Valencia. Maybe he just wasn't expecting it to overlap with the Ardennes Classics.
Except for all the planning these races have done for plans to honor him. Likely also money spent on these plans as well. He wasn't originally planning on racing the Ardennes this year either. He made a promise. These races were making plans based on this promise.
Looking at the riders going to Valenciana and the other teams, Valverde has no business going there for an "easy win". He probably doesnt want it that way, and he already have 3 wins there against much better fields. It would be a pointless win and dont know if it would be the best preparation either.
Better to let the young riders on your team go there this edition, with Mas. Who probably needs a confidence boost. Mas should have a good chance to win it.
In his current form he is their best chance at Amstel for a good result. Makes sense to go there, even if it also might be just to get a race before Fleche and LBL.
Better to let the young riders on your team go there this edition, with Mas. Who probably needs a confidence boost. Mas should have a good chance to win it.
In his current form he is their best chance at Amstel for a good result. Makes sense to go there, even if it also might be just to get a race before Fleche and LBL.
Cortina is much better suited to this Amstel course than Valverde is. Valverde has no chance to win or even podium on this Amstel course. No reason for him to race it at all. Actually I'd say Matteo Jorgenson has a better chance to get a decent result on this Amstel course than Valverde has. Also in his current form Valverde is not going to win Fletcher or LBL. There is no way to make going to Amstel make any sense. Not only that he has skipped Amstel for stage races in the past then gone to Fletcher and LBL.
Why is it suddenly Fletcher? Also, the only time he has ever missed Amstel when he had the opportunity to go was in 2016 where he was aiming for the Giro. He has 12 participations. And no, Cortina and Jorgenson do of course not have better chances than him.
Not going to win maybe, but a podiumspot is very possible in both Fleche and LBL. Both Valverde and Movistar would sign for those results inmmediately.
Look, he raced Catalunya, raced Itzulia, both were very hard races, especially Itzulia. Another five-day race would be too much before Fleche and Liege. Yes, he wants to do that races, and yes he has a chance. As far as I have seen, only Slovenian duo is stronger atm. But this is no stage racing, we're talking about one-day races here, Valverde is a master in those (rewatch GP Indurain...) Now Amstel doesn't suit him down to the ground, I agree, but he had some very good races there, and doing the Cauberg 13 times, is no fluke. It's nearly 40 bergs in 220 km, I wouldn't call that easy. Anyway, even if he doesn't do anything there, it is much better preparation for his two main races of this part of season. Doing Valencia at this moment would be just a waste of time, and counter productive.
And how could you be so sure? He looked pretty sharp to me in his last three races. I would say only two or three guys maybe have a better form, but just maybe...
Thus the team doesn't have anyone that has any chance at doing anything.
Not in his current form. At best he's close to his 2019 form and that form was way off of what was needed for a podium at Fleche or LBL.
Amstel, IMO, with this route is a complete waste of time and counter productive. I don't see it as better preparation at all.
Because his current form is at best 2019 level and he had no shot at a podium with that form. Heck he couldn't win either one in 2018 when his form was much better than it currently is.
His 2019 level, of whom we're talking about, is not his spring 2019 level, but autumn. Vuelta and Lombardia level. With that level he can win, believe me. In 2018 he was past his peak, and Alaphilippe was on the rise, which now isn't a case. I rate him as one of the 5 main favorites for the Ardennes double.
I think he's maybe close to his spring 2019 level where he had a ton of second place finishes. If he's better than that currently, the entire rest of the field minus a handful of riders are a heck of a lot worse than they where in 2019.
You know, @Koronin, for someone who's such a big fan of Valverde, you don't have a lot of faith in the guy's abilities...
This isn't pre World Champion Valverde. This is post WC Valverde. This Valverde isn't what the one before the WC was. Everything I've seen since he won the World Championships there is no reason to have much faith in his abilities at this point. I have seen nothing this year to say he can win or even podium in the Ardennes and everything to say he can't do much of anything at all at Amstel.
That's ridiculous, when he can ride the way he did on Vallter 2000, a very hard and quite long mountain, of course he has a chance in the Ardennes classics.
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