Alejandro Valverde lost a lot of time during Saturday's stage at the Vuelta a Espana but this is not a surprise for Movistar general manager Eusebio Unzué. 

"Already [Friday] he finished the stage very tired and was wondering how much longer he could hang on. When you look at the season he’s had, from the Giro, to the Tour and the Olympics, it is no surprise what happened. The surprise was that he was as good for as long as he was", Unzué told Velonews.

Valverde will be out of contract at the end of 2017, but Unzué invited the Spanish rider to extend his contract. "He has a contract for next season, and he can race as long as he wants. Alejandro just keeps getting better with age."