Alejandro Valverde – The world’s #3 best pro rider

 

2013 UCI World Tour - The ten best pro-cyclists in the world

 

What follows is the eighth, in ten portraits, covering the UCI’s top ten World Tour riders, their 2013 season, and their future prospects. This article will be about Alejandro Valverde, the world’s third best professional cyclist.

 

Additional articles in the series: Richie Porte #10, Rui Costa #9, Nairo Quintana #8, Fabian Cancellara #7, Daniel Martin #6, Vincenzo Nibali #5, Peter Sagan #4, Chris Froome #2 & Joaquim Rodríguez #1.

 

Alejandro Valverde Belmonte, Movistar – #3 / 540 points – 2013

 

Alejandro “El Imbatido / The Unbeaten” Valverde Belmonte grew up in a cycling family, and was given his first bike by his father – an amateur rider – at the age of six.

 

Aged eleven he placed second in his very first race, and two weeks after took his first victory. Valverde dominated the junior field in Spain, and won nearly every race, in which he participated, for the following five years. He was in fact so good that parents tried to convince him not to race certain event to allow other kids the opportunity to win.

 

“Some were annoyed when they saw me at the start, but what could I do?" Valverde said to the press, when asked about his junior years’ racing.

 

His many wins got him the attention of the elite amateur team Banesto, and Valverde signed up. He almost immediately won three races, but the distance between his new team (in Navarra), and his home in Murcia was simply too great, and his performance suffered.

 

Instead he moved to the development team of Kelme, where he was promised a contract with the professional team if he did well.

 

Needless to say… So he did.

 

Three short facts:

 

It was a winning streak of fifty victories (between the age of eleven to fourteen) that gave him the nickname “El Imbatido / The Unbeaten”

 

He probably has the best finish amongst the peloton’s climbers

 

His maternal name “Belmote” also belonged to Spain’s greatest matador, and is normally associated with bullfighting,

 

Kelme

 

His 2002 season was mediocre, with a second place during the Volta a Catalunya’s fifth stage, and with a fifth place during the Vuelta a España’s ninth stage. Still, he was only twenty-one-years-old.

 

Valverde’s breakthrough came during the 2003 season when collected his first big result by placing third overall in the Vuelta a Andalucia; subsequently he did well in the Vuelta a Murcia, decently at the Milano-Sanremo, and good at the Critérium International.

 

However, it was not before the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, that Valverde really showed his class: during the Basque race he won the third stage, ahead of Rebellin and Wegmann, collected two additional podium spots, and finally placed fifth overall, 1’15” after winner Iban Mayo. He also, for the first time, displayed his distinctive talent; namely an explosive finish that almost surpassed that of the sprinters’. Unique for a guy who could keep up with the best in the mountains.

 

Two days after he won the Klasika Primavera, and the public got the first whim of the star he would become. The result also ensured him a free role at the upcoming Vuelta.

 

Here he again displayed both his velocity and climbing prowess, and placed third in the second stage; behind established stars Carlos Sastre and Luis Perez. He then cemented his status as an up-and-coming-rider with his win during the ninth stage, and was suddenly Kelme’s best bet towards the overall classification. This was highlighted by several good results in the mountains, and with another win during the fifteenth stage. Valverde placed second in the penultimate ITT, and astonishingly secured third overall; 9’52” ahead of team captain Sevilla.

 

Valverde ended the season with a second place at the World Championships, and was widely declared one of the most promising talents within professional cycling.

 

Nonetheless, his results were later marred by teammate Jesus Manzano, who in 2004 exposed systematic doping within the team, and in 2007, told German magazine Stern that Valververde "took the same stuff that they gave me."

 

"I remember an evening after one of the Vuelta stages in 2002. Valverde came to dinner with a testosterone plaster on. After an hour he ripped it off, otherwise he would have been tested positive," Manzano added.

 

The allegations included notorious Eufemiano Fuentes, who was Kelme’s doctor at the time, and they meant that Kelme was not invited to the Tour, and experienced financial difficulties.

 

Despite the woes of the team, doping allegations, and offers from other teams, Valverde decided to stay for the 2004 season.

 

In his best season so far he went on to win the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, the Vuelta a Murcia, a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country, the Vuelta a Burgos, and fourth overall in the Vuelta. At the Vuelta he won the third stage, podiumed thrice, and collected fourth overall. Had it not been for the crash during the eleventh stage Valverde might have fared even better.

 

As icing on a superb season he also managed a sixth overall at the World Championship.

 

An extremely impressive season by a young Spaniard, just twenty-three years of age. And although likely doped to the gills, Valverde still managed his accomplishments amongst a similar-minded school of fish, who were all digesting, injecting, and patching whatever kind of illegal substance they could get their dirty fins on…

 

Caisse d’Epargne

 

In 2005 Valverde signed with Caisse d’Epargne despite a €2 million buyout clause in his contract, and offers from both Rabobank and Liberty Seguros.

 

He won the seventh stage of the Paris-Nice, collected the second overall, just behind CSC’s Bobby Julich, and then proceed with two wins at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.

 

These results enabled Valverde shared team support (together with leader Mancebo) for the French Grand Tour, and he entered his first Tour de France still eligible to compete for the white jersey.

 

Amazingly he won the tenth stage, with non other than Lance Armstrong just behind him.

 

"I would like to find a word to express what I'm feeling inside, but it's just impossible," Valverde said. "It's just the greatest thing that's happened in my life.”

 

"Before I came here, I had a dream to win a stage and today I've realised that dream. So now I'll go on working for the team, because Mancebo is the leader of the team and he is very strong too.”

 

“Valverde was impressive... I was surprised to see him there," Armstrong later admitted.

 

Unfortunately Valverde had to withdraw after the thirteenth stage, citing a knee injury. He barely recovered in time for the World Championship in Madrid, and due to a sudden injury to Oscar Freire, he was selected as Spain’s captain.

 

In the end Valverde ended up with a surprising second place, just after winner Tom Boonen.

 

"Boonen is so very fast and very strong for these kind of races. I started the sprint very early, he caught me and he could pass me pretty easily," Valverde told the press after the race, and did not display any disappointment with the result.

 

Valverde had shown himself to be one of the brightest talents in the Grand Tours, the medium-sized stage races, and also in the classics. From 2006 to 2009 Valverde would win just about everything possible (his success was only shortly threatened by the UCI, who tried to ban him from the 2007 World Championship due to doping allegations). This included the Vuelta a España, multiple Grand Tour stages, numerous important stage races, several big classics, two times winner of the UCI ProTour, as well as scores of lesser stages and races.

 

In short; he had become a superstar in cycling.

 

Then Valverde was affected by something that could hardly have come unexpected: Operación Puerto.

 

Doping ban for Piti

 

The doping scandal ensured Valverde a ban from racing in Italy (May 2009), and a year after he received a two-year suspension (backdated to the first of January, 2010).

 

Through the nickname “Piti” (his dog’s name), and later tests, he had been found guilty of blood doping and EPO, and today it is apparent that he was most likely doped throughout his early professional career.

 

A statement to the court read that none of his victories "were obtained through use of prohibited practices, which is confirmed because Alejandro Valverde, possibly the most controlled the athlete in the world, has never failed a doping test." Right. Which just goes to show that it is the system that is not good enough.

 

The court stated that the tests linking Valverde to the blood evidence were sufficient to justify a ban for "use or attempted use by a rider of a prohibited substance or prohibited method". However, it refused the UCI's request to nullify all of Valverde's race results prior to the ban.

 

Back in action - Movistar

 

It is difficult to establish what made Valverde’s return so successful; but it must be either a cleaner peloton, or that Valverde discovered he was even stronger without illegal substances…

 

Whatever the circumstances Valverde proved right away that he was still a top-rider.

 

During his official first race participation in nearly two years he won the Tour Down Under’s stage five.

 

“For me, Alejandro is an exceptional sportsman,” Gutierrez told Cyclingnews in Adelaide a couple of hours later. “I know him very well. The day I heard the news of his ban, I was very sad. In my 13-year long career, I’ve had the pleasure of rooming with the likes of Laurent Jalabert, Abraham Olano and Jose Maria Jimenez, but I can’t look at all those great champions with as much fascination as I do for Valverde. He was born only for cycling. Today, the sport of cycling has recovered a true champion.”

 

"This win is for all the people who've supported me during my time off," Valverde explained to Cycling Weekly. "It's a perfect comeback for me."

 

Some critics still blamed Movistar for taken him in too readily; the response?

 

"Say what you want," team sports director, José Luis Arrieta told Cycling Weekly, "he didn't test positive." The morale here being that you should not get caught cheating. Besides that anything goes or what?

 

Anyway. Valverde was back, and still good at what he did best.

 

He immediately claimed a stage win in the Vuelta a Andalucia, and overall, and then proceeded to another stage victory at the Paris-Nice and third overall. Not bad by a clean ex-doper.

 

Valverde accumulated another victory soon after, with a stage win at the Tour de France, beating eventual winners Froome and Wiggins, and celebrated in tears.

 

"I was just overwhelmed with the emotion," the 32-year-old said about his outburst of joy and relief in the finish. "It's been such a difficult Tour for me, for the team. Looking back, already my first victory this season at the Tour Down Under was very emotional, but a great victory like this one today triggers even greater emotions."

 

Then more success at the Vuelta, where Valverde (due to team leader Cobo playing a fictitious role in the race) won stage three, ahead of fellow superstars Contador, Froome and Rodriques. He also picked up stage eighth, again, just ahead of aforementioned riders. The two victories, as well as numerous podiums, provided Valverde with a blast of a Vuelta.

 

In the end he rounded of the season by placing third overall at the World Championship; fully demonstrating his return amongst cycling’s best.

 

Alejandro Valverde’s 2013 season, and the reason as to why he is currently considered #3 in the world

 

It is very impressive that Valverde has managed to return to former glories, and he looks far from satiated.

 

This season he has again competed against the best, and has achieved impressive results. First he took the Vuelta a Andalucia prologue in impressive fashion, then the third stage ahead of quite a few mountain specialists, and finally also the overall.

 

Strangely though, he somehow managed not to win anything else the rest of the season (okay, okay, the Vuelta point jersey, big deal). Instead he accumulated six second-places – with several of them being in significant events, e.g. Amstel Gold Race, Clasica San Sebastian, Il Lombardia and in two Vuelta stages. And an additional seven third-places – amongst other in Liège - Bastogne – Liège, three stages in the Tour and Vuelta and then of course during the World Championships.

 

Had he not gotten a flat tire during the thirteenth stage of the Tour, and subsequently lost ten minutes due to the tire, echelons, and the peloton’s frantic pace, he might have achieved a much better result. Especially considering that he before the stage was second, after Froome, and that he was among the strongest during the Tour’s final stages.

 

At the World Championship he was probably not unlucky, but was still criticized widely for his failure to cover the late attack of Rui Costa; probably costing Rodriquez the rainbow jersey.

 

At Il Lombardia Rodriquez regained his composure and won, but characteristic for his 2013 season Valverde again placed second.

 

2014 and the future

 

The question that remains is whether Valverde was unlucky this season, or if he is simply getting old. Although his endurance and resilience are as good as ever his sprint has failed him several times.

 

One thing is for certain and that is that Valverde has left more years behind him, in cycling, than he has years ahead of him, and it is doubtful if he will manage to reach the success of earlier years.

 

Nonetheless, he has done extremely well. Especially as he has returned from a long break. There may a classic or two left in his legs, and surely his sprint will provide him with a number of victories and good placings; but he is not going to get better than he once were.

 

Finishing as number three on the UCI’s World Tour is no small feat, and Valverde has collected the points to earn the position.

 

Hopefully he still has a few good years in him, because despite his past he is is a magnificent rider to watch, and can always be counted upon to be in the midst of the action.

 

Less of the second and third places, and more of the El Imbatido please.