Teams & Riders Team Movistar-thread

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May 25, 2018
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...and Valverde wasn't strictly riding his own race. I recall multiple occasion him riding in support of another rider. One instance in particular sticks in my mind where on a mountain finish stage he led the peloton up the climb, dropped off, seemed to be done only to return to the front after pulling himself back to the lead group, did another extended turn on the front.
Ya riding in support of another rider but was it a Movi rider? :D
 
Oct 14, 2017
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2018 Tour, Landa specifically thanked Valverde after the first climbing stage after the cobbles where he crashed. He specifically said that without Valverde pacing him and talking to him up that final climb he would have lost more time and that Valverde basically saved his Tour.
I think there are two things with Valverde, he's much more willing to work for someone if he has a belief in them and if they are willing to work for him in return.
 
May 25, 2018
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2018 Tour, Landa specifically thanked Valverde after the first climbing stage after the cobbles where he crashed. He specifically said that without Valverde pacing him and talking to him up that final climb he would have lost more time and that Valverde basically saved his Tour.
I think there are two things with Valverde, he's much more willing to work for someone if he has a belief in them and if they are willing to work for him in return.

So he believes in Rui Costa then :p
 
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Oct 14, 2017
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Look, Valverde gifted to his teammates more wins than most of the riders have on their palmares, so I don't really get this joke!

Me either. He also doesn't seem to understand Valverde. It's actually amazing the number of wins he has gifted to teammates. There are others he's tried to gift to teammates, but teammates weren't strong enough to go with an attack from a rival.
 
Nov 16, 2013
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There are reports of a training crash and injury to Norsgaard. Nothing official yet, but here's the article:

He has broken his leg and is out 6 months. It happened yesterday. He cried all night because of the pain and has very low spirits. He is not impressed by the staff at the hospital (in Spain) who apparently was more interested in the fact that he was Valverde's teammate than helping him medically. He hopes that he can get surgery in Denmark instead. He is very happy with the work of his agent, Manuel Quinziato, who has helped him a lot, not least because he is able to communicate in both English and Spanish.

The accident happened because an on-coming driver didn't see him and crossed the road to get a parking spot and cut in in front of him. He then crashed into a road pole and it was that impact that broke his leg.

I have no idea why you write that it's not official...
 
Oct 14, 2017
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He has broken his leg and is out 6 months. It happened yesterday. He cried all night because of the pain and has very low spirits. He is not impressed by the staff at the hospital (in Spain) who apparently was more interested in the fact that he was Valverde's teammate than helping him medically. He hopes that he can get surgery in Denmark instead. He is very happy with the work of his agent, Manuel Quinziato, who has helped him a lot, not least because he is able to communicate in both English and Spanish.

The accident happened because an on-coming driver didn't see him and crossed the road to get a parking spot and cut in in front of him. He then crashed into a road pole and it was that impact that broke his leg.

I have no idea why you write that it's not official...

The article I linked stated not official. I suspect because they had not confirmed it.

Thanks for the extra information. Sounds like the hospital staff needs reprimanded. Their job is to take care of patients.

I feel horribly for him. Maybe if fans send him get well messages through twitter it would help his spirits?
 
Nov 16, 2013
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The article I linked stated not official. I suspect because they had not confirmed it.

Thanks for the extra information. Sounds like the hospital staff needs reprimanded. Their job is to take care of patients.

I feel horribly for him. Maybe if fans send him get well messages through twitter it would help his spirits?

Allright, maybe it did, but it was weirdly specific considering it claimed the injuries weren't official.
 
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Oct 14, 2017
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Watching the team presentation today, you can just see how much better the atmosphere is this year compared to the previous few seasons. They had Mas and Soler together being interviewed and they spent most of that time joking with each other. Although they said they are sending all 3 of their leaders to both the Tour and Vuelta, it should be a much more cohesive team. I also think this is going to be a fun team to watch this season.
 
Aug 18, 2010
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Watching the team presentation today, you can just see how much better the atmosphere is this year compared to the previous few seasons. They had Mas and Soler together being interviewed and they spent most of that time joking with each other. Although they said they are sending all 3 of their leaders to both the Tour and Vuelta, it should be a much more cohesive team. I also think this is going to be a fun team to watch this season.

I will miss the forced rictus grin all friends together team PR photos with Landa, Quintana and Valverde. It will be less funny with guys who aren’t hating every second together,
 
Oct 14, 2017
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I will miss the forced rictus grin all friends together team PR photos with Landa, Quintana and Valverde. It will be less funny with guys who aren’t hating every second together,

It won't be a circus. It will be less funny, but I suspect more fun. Or at least more fun for the riders on the team. With how young this team is, and how excited the riders are (from all the new young riders to their veteran leader) is suspect this will be a fun team to watch this season. One other note is that Mr Unzue said that the young riders will be riding for Valverde in races so he can teach them and they should have their masters degree by racing with him.
 
Oct 14, 2017
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Here's an interview with Mr Unzue. It's been translated into English, so hopefully at least a close translation. Two of the big things I take from this is that they have high hopes for Enric Mas. Even those those hopes they want to give him some time to learn. The other is they are excited about having a young team. They are going to try to put together a cobbled classics team with some of these young riders. They will have all these young riders racing with their veterans all seasons, most specifically getting them racing with Valverde.

 
Jun 20, 2015
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Thank God, Movistar are spending more time on the cobbled classics. It's fine being a top level GC team but then you need to be decent in either or the classics or in the sprints.
 
Oct 14, 2017
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Thank God, Movistar are spending more time on the cobbled classics. It's fine being a top level GC team but then you need to be decent in either or the classics or in the sprints.

Well they are decent in the hilly classics. Or does Valverde not count? However, I agree that it's nice to see they are finally acknowledging that the cobbled races exist and they should maybe have some riders for those races. However, after this interview, I'm semi wondering if this is part of why Valverde decided to race Dwars in 2020? He along with Erviti and Oliviera are the best current cobbled riders they have.
 

Bonimenier

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Apr 1, 2019
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Well they are decent in the hilly classics. Or does Valverde not count? However, I agree that it's nice to see they are finally acknowledging that the cobbled races exist and they should maybe have some riders for those races. However, after this interview, I'm semi wondering if this is part of why Valverde decided to race Dwars in 2020? He along with Erviti and Oliviera are the best current cobbled riders they have.
No, Valverde doesn't count. It's unfair that he is good in every type of race.
 
Oct 14, 2017
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No, Valverde doesn't count. It's unfair that he is good in every type of race.

That's what makes him a once in a lifetime (or at least a once in 30 to 40 years) type of rider. It's part of what makes him such a unique rider.