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Official Valverde thread.

Page 23 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Jul 16, 2010
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Re:

Gung Ho Gun said:
If only we knew what Gilbert was on when he suddenly became better than Valverde ever was. For a single year.
This is the Valerie thread, why do Valerie fanboys always deflect? Valverde has cheated his entire career.
 
Feb 5, 2018
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El Pistolero said:
Escarabajo said:
BTW, I didn't like Valverde that much at the beginning, but in the last 3 years I have to admit his consistency and domination is something that you have to be amazed of.

Miracles don't exist in cycling and you should only be amazed by exciting racing, not Valverde's ultra passive behaviour during big races.
yes, valverdes performance is looking more like horners vuelta win, slightly unbelievable
 
Feb 5, 2018
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valverde wins stage 4 volte a a catalunya, good showing by hugh carty

General classification after stage 4
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 17:00:58
2 Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky 0:00:19
3 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:00:26
4 Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:48
5 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:12
6 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:14
7 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:18
8 George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo
9 Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:01:24
10 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:01:28
 
Feb 21, 2017
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I hear there's a bala thread, is this the place?
oh-hai-seal.jpg
 
Jun 28, 2015
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rick james said:
53*11 said:
big day in the volte today, 200kms + 3 big climbs, valverde will need to be on very good form to retain overall lead
Shirley this post should be in the race thread, it has no place at all in the clinic


Nah it's legit content. Good form has a different meaning here in the clinic :lol:
 
Oct 4, 2011
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rick james said:
53*11 said:
big day in the volte today, 200kms + 3 big climbs, valverde will need to be on very good form to retain overall lead
Shirley this post should be in the race thread, it has no place at all in the clinic
Surely Shirley can decide where to post what she wants.

Valverde creeping up on 40....Shirley says he should retire before he does a Horner.
 
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El Pistolero said:
therealthing said:
Alexandre B. said:
Valverde winning bunch sprints these days.

It’s like Kelme all over again.
I am actually tired of him winning everything now- he just never ever stops. And no one ever even seems to raise an eyebrow.

All the attention goes to Sky, giving Movistar and Valverde free reign.

Spanish cyclists have an unfair advantage in general because no one in their country cares about doping. They actively cheer for cheaters. When Valverde was banned for doping he was still being paid by Movistar and after his ban ended they took him back immediately. Not once was Movistar criticized for this by Spanish media.

A 38 year-old riding better than ever, after he has already been banned for a serious doping offence... How naive does one need to be to believe this crap?

Cycling would be a much better place without Sky and Movistar. Hopefully they implode soon.
I agree that Spanish (and Italian) riders benefit because their countries they do not really care about doping. But this is true for more countries. Belgium has had many riders and teams with doping programs and the Flemish press has never questioned them. Say what you want about Sky but the last couple of years they have their own media against them. This will never happen in Spain, Italy or Belgium.
 
Jul 16, 2010
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Bardamu said:
El Pistolero said:
therealthing said:
Alexandre B. said:
Valverde winning bunch sprints these days.

It’s like Kelme all over again.
I am actually tired of him winning everything now- he just never ever stops. And no one ever even seems to raise an eyebrow.

All the attention goes to Sky, giving Movistar and Valverde free reign.

Spanish cyclists have an unfair advantage in general because no one in their country cares about doping. They actively cheer for cheaters. When Valverde was banned for doping he was still being paid by Movistar and after his ban ended they took him back immediately. Not once was Movistar criticized for this by Spanish media.

A 38 year-old riding better than ever, after he has already been banned for a serious doping offence... How naive does one need to be to believe this crap?

Cycling would be a much better place without Sky and Movistar. Hopefully they implode soon.
I agree that Spanish (and Italian) riders benefit because their countries they do not really care about doping. But this is true for more countries. Belgium has had many riders and teams with doping programs and the Flemish press has never questioned them. Say what you want about Sky but the last couple of years they have their own media against them. This will never happen in Spain, Italy or Belgium.

Boonen got a lot of flack for his cocaine story. There haven't really been any major doping cases in Belgium recently, so hard to make conclusions based on that. I don't really know how Belgian media would react nowadays.
 
Was van Avermaet ever seriously questioned for his connection with a doping doctor? Gilbert for the alleged cortisone abuse within Lotto. Boonen ever questioned for riding his whole career for the doping infested US Postal and Lefevere teams? As long as the riders deny and tell the media that in cobbled classics doping is not needed, Belgian cycling still has a problem. Museeuw was caught and all he admitted was that it was during the end of his career. I don't know why the Belgian people believed him, but they like to look the other way.
 
Jul 16, 2010
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Angliru said:
El Pistolero said:
Koronin said:
El Pistolero said:
Koronin said:
According to an article I just read Valverde said he is NOT racing Ronde this year. He said he fully intends on racing it eventually, but not this year. He said this isn't the right time to race it, esp not with trying to match Merckx's LBL record. He did say again fully intends on racing it, just not this year.

LBL is also the main goal of Nibali in the first part of the season yet he still rode Milan-San Remo and will ride the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

And?

Valverde has no excuse to skip those races. Other than being a coward.

What an absolutely absurd post. Wow. A rider that competes for the entire season at a higher level than most of the rest and he's a coward? Cowards are those that toss mud while hiding behind the safe anonymity of their keyboard.

He only targets races that can be easily controlled and predicted.

Did you watch Dwars door Vlaanderen? Not so easily controlled as an Ardennes "classic".

And yes, he's a coward, I can explain why in the clinic.
 
Jul 16, 2010
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Bardamu said:
Was van Avermaet ever seriously questioned for his connection with a doping doctor? Gilbert for the alleged cortisone abuse within Lotto. Boonen ever questioned for riding his whole career for the doping infested US Postal and Lefevere teams? As long as the riders deny and tell the media that in cobbled classics doping is not needed, Belgian cycling still has a problem. Museeuw was caught and all he admitted was that it was during the end of his career. I don't know why the Belgian people believed him, but they like to look the other way.

Yes, but the newspapers got sued because there was lack of proof. Obviously you need proof if you want to crucify someone. Museeuw was ages ago.
 
Re:

Bardamu said:
Was van Avermaet ever seriously questioned for his connection with a doping doctor? Gilbert for the alleged cortisone abuse within Lotto. Boonen ever questioned for riding his whole career for the doping infested US Postal and Lefevere teams? As long as the riders deny and tell the media that in cobbled classics doping is not needed, Belgian cycling still has a problem. Museeuw was caught and all he admitted was that it was during the end of his career. I don't know why the Belgian people believed him, but they like to look the other way.
they are all dopers, just like any given great cyclist. don't know why this clinic theme gets so much posts.
 
Re:

WheelofGear said:
How much lighter is he than he average classics rider? 10 kilos/20 pounds? 15/30 pounds kilos?

It's a bit weird that he can sit with Terpstra, GVA, Sep and Stybar on the cobbles without having any experience on them.

It's not about experience, but legs. Period.

Valverde pure star of cycling
 
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Aguirre said:
WheelofGear said:
How much lighter is he than he average classics rider? 10 kilos/20 pounds? 15/30 pounds kilos?

It's a bit weird that he can sit with Terpstra, GVA, Sep and Stybar on the cobbles without having any experience on them.

It's not about experience, but legs. Period.

Valverde pure star of cycling

It is about weight difference though. Valverde (63 kg) is comfortably riding along Terpstra (75 kg), Vanmarcke (77 kg), Stuyven (78kg) in a race designed for heavy weighters and power horses.
 
Re: Re:

WheelofGear said:
Aguirre said:
WheelofGear said:
How much lighter is he than he average classics rider? 10 kilos/20 pounds? 15/30 pounds kilos?

It's a bit weird that he can sit with Terpstra, GVA, Sep and Stybar on the cobbles without having any experience on them.

It's not about experience, but legs. Period.

Valverde pure star of cycling

It is about weight difference though. Valverde (63 kg) is comfortably riding along Terpstra (75 kg), Vanmarcke (77 kg), Stuyven (78kg) in a race designed for heavy weighters and power horses.
It looked to me like he struggled the most on the flatter cobbled sections - which is what you'd expect. Not sure why lower weight would be much of a disadvantage when the gradients get above 7-8%, at least not if you have the anaerobic capacity that Valverde does.
 
Re: Re:

El Pistolero said:
Bardamu said:
Was van Avermaet ever seriously questioned for his connection with a doping doctor? Gilbert for the alleged cortisone abuse within Lotto. Boonen ever questioned for riding his whole career for the doping infested US Postal and Lefevere teams? As long as the riders deny and tell the media that in cobbled classics doping is not needed, Belgian cycling still has a problem. Museeuw was caught and all he admitted was that it was during the end of his career. I don't know why the Belgian people believed him, but they like to look the other way.

Yes, but the newspapers got sued because there was lack of proof. Obviously you need proof if you want to crucify someone. Museeuw was ages ago.
Ah the good old US Postal/Sky approach. Museeuws confession was not ages ago and the guy who accommodated it is still in charge.
Belgian TV dared to question Vainstains regarding his connection to Fuentes in de Kleedkamer this week, but the whole program was about Gent Wevelgem 1999 where Museeuw dragged Steels, both known dopers, to the finishline. But there were no critical questions for Steels who was in the studio. As long this hypocrisy still is going on, I believe the Belgian media is no different than the Spanish or Italian media.
 
Re: Re:

Aguirre said:
WheelofGear said:
How much lighter is he than he average classics rider? 10 kilos/20 pounds? 15/30 pounds kilos?

It's a bit weird that he can sit with Terpstra, GVA, Sep and Stybar on the cobbles without having any experience on them.

It's not about experience, but legs. Period.

Valverde pure star of cycling

I don't think so. Its also about doping over a 16 year professional career thus maintaining your competitiveness at 38 years of age.

Also, cobbles are not just about legs as anyone who has ridden super bumpy roads would know. The lighter you are the more you get tossed around thus adding the fatigue over 250Km of racing. Valverde has less chance than Nibali at Flanders. Nibali is a more courageous rider Valverde wins by sitting on wheels then outsprinting 60kg climbers. He will get monstered at Flanders. Nibali would attack so he doesn't have compete a sprint against bigger more powerful riders. Valverde doesn't have the ability nor courage to do that. Valverde fans should be hoping he gets through without crashing if so it is great preparation for races ahead he is actually a possibility of winning.