Alejandro Valverde will face a new challenge in 2016, unprecedented for him at 36 years of age: the Giro d'Italia after a full Ardennes campaign, in addition to a debut at the Tour of Flanders.

Despite his decision to do the 2016 Giro d'Italia, he will not give up its Ardennes even though he has confirmed to BiciCiclismo that he may go to Amstel, Fleche and Liege in a less good condition .From La Doyenne on April 24 to the end of the Giro in Turin on May 29, he has to maintain a competitive level to step onto the only grand tour podium that is missing from his palmares.

The Liege-Giro is a rare one because the Belgian classic usually marks the end of the first part of the season for many Tour de France contenders - just as it has often been the case for Valverde. Eddy Mercx in 1972 and 1973, Yevgeny Berzin in 1994 and Danilo di Luca in 2007 are the only riders to have won both the Belgian Monument and the Italian grand tour in the same season.

Merckx won Liege five times, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975, and five Giri d'Italia, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973 and 1974, and is a true legend in the sport. Berzin's path was differet. The Russian had a breakthrough at only 23 years of age in 1994 with the Gewiss team when he won Liege and the Giro. He never managed to repeat those results. He was second in the Giro in 1995, won a stage in both the Giro and the Tour in 1996 but the disappeared before retiring in 2001.

Di Luca won the Liege-Giro in 2007 at 31 years of age. Later that year he was suspeded for three months for his involvement in the Oil for Drugs doping investigation. In 2009, he was second in the Giro behind Denis Menchov but he tested positive for CERA twice and was suspended for three years. Nonetheless, he again tested positive for Epo when he returned to the Giro in 2013, his last professional race.

For Valverde, the 2016 season will be unique. He will do Tirreno-Adriatico and a calendar of classics with the Tour of Flanders, Amstel, Fleche and Liege before the Giro, the Tour de France and the Olympics. His love affair with the Ardennes is evident. He has won three editions of Liege and he has been the fastest on the Mur de Huy in Fleche Wallone twice. Since 2006 h has a total of 13 podiums in those classics. This year will present a new challenge as he will only have 12 days to recover after La Doyenne before the Giro starts in Apeldoorn.

To match Merckx, Berzin and Di Luca, he has to beat Nibali, Landa and Uran in the Giro. However, his main goal could be to reach the podium to add another grand tour top 3 to the ones he has in the Vuelta a Espana (one win, two second and three third places) and the Tour de France (one third place).

That will only be the first half of the year. Then he will face the Tour de France in July as luxury domestique for Nairo Quintana and then target his big goal of Olympic gold in Rio di Janeiro.