Old man, what now? This is how one could interpret the pictures on the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia, when Alejandro Valverde in the middle of a breakaway group up the Mortirolo Pass in May. The 42-year-old Spaniard was surrounded by young lads such as Thymen Arensman, 22, and Lennard Kämna, 25 - racers who could also be his sons. When his young companions stepped up the pace during the climb, the oldie just waved them off, true to his motto: Why do you want to put my old body through such excesses now? We still have more than 80 kilometres to go, don't we?
Valverde mostly stayed at the back of the group of six as an observer - like the watchdog of a gang of youngsters. He later counterattacked on the final climb on the way to the finish after Aprica Kämna's attack, holding a not yet unwrapped energy bar between his teeth. The experienced professional cyclist from Team Movistar was visibly focussed on a possible stage win. But a few kilometres further on, it was over. The oldie had to let the younger riders go - at the end of his tether. Valverde wanted to, but he couldn't.
Yes, this is my last season, for real and for good
For the Spaniard, that day was the day he finally realised that his time was up. "El Bala"The projectile, as it was once christened, because its ability to accelerate in big races after more than 200 kilometres The man who could still win with explosive attacks no longer zips away, he just pops out of the barrel, as it were. "Yes, this is my last season, for real and for good"assured Valverde on the sidelines of the Giro. The Tour of Spain shall be his great Farewell tour through the homeland - the race in which he won the overall classification in 2009 and in which he celebrated twelve times as the day's winner.
End of a cycling career
This marks the end of a major, albeit controversial Cycling career towards the end. Almost 220,000 racing kilometres to more than 1,300 race days has Alejandro Valverde until Mid 2022 travelled - together more than five orbits of the earth at equatorial height in competition mode!
133 victories he has won in the process - but in recent years there have been fewer and fewer, especially at the very highest level. Enduring, strong climber and fast sprinter: the slender man from the Region of Murcia characterised two decades in professional cycling - first in the jersey of Team Kelme (2002 to 2004), then continuously with the current team Movistar and its predecessors Balearic Islands and Caisse d'Épargne.
Late coronation in Innsbruck
"The most important and best victory was the world championship title. Because I've been working towards it for so long"he summarised. He had already finished on the podium at road world championships six times before. At the twelfth World Championships in Innsbruck in 2018, he finally managed to win the Rainbow jerseys - when hardly anyone expected the man to be around at the advanced age of 38.
It was the late coronation a career that began early and with great promise: Between the ages of eleven and thirteen, Alejandro Valverde won every race in his home region of Murcia. The astonished public gave him the nickname "El Imbatible"the unbeatable. "Of course, those are great memories, three years without defeat. But I was also much more nervous back then than I am now," says Valverde. "I felt tremendous pressure. It seemed bad to me if I didn't win. It was only over the years that I learnt to deal with defeats. Because in cycling you lose more often than you win," the age-wise Valverde looks back.
Alejandro Valverde defeated Armstrong in the mountain sprint
He catapulted himself into the consciousness of the cycling world public 2005when he defeated Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France in the mountain sprint in Courchevel. "It was my first Tour de France ever. I won against men who represented the absolute highest level at the time. That was a big thing," recalls Valverde. At the time, Spain's cycling fans were hoping for a new golden era, a continuation of the Indurain years with a subscription to victories in the big three-week stage races. Even Valverde himself had this hope. "Of course there were years when I tried to win the Tour. I gave it my best shot. At least I made it onto the podium once," he recalls. He didn't manage to repeat the feat, but Seven top ten placingsincluding a third place in 2015, show remarkable consistency in the Tour of France with a total of 14 participations.
Laurels from the boss
"Alejandro has enormous talent. He can recover incredibly well. As a result, he can maintain a high level over long periods of the season," says his longstanding Team manager Eusebio Unzué. The boss also emphasises his almost unparalleled versatility: "He can do almost anything. He could have become a great classics rider. But then he focussed more on the tours. With him, we had the privilege of being able to ride to victory in almost every race. He kept the illusion alive in an entire country that you can always win."
What if...?
But wouldn't it have been possible to achieve even more than the 133 victories in 21 professional years? "That doesn't concern me," Valverde claims. And when asked whether the focus of his racing team is on the Tour de France and the big stage races have prevented further big classics victories, he reacts almost brusquely: "Aren't the classics I've won, especially Liège-Bastogne-Liège, enough? I have more podium finishes than Eddy Merckx, who is the best of all time, and almost as many victories as him. Should I still have ridden Paris-Roubaix? With my weight, that's simply not realistic."
He prefers to let his legs do the talking
The man from Murcia has always shown himself to be Realist and Pragmatist. Anyone who has frequent dealings with him appreciates his down-to-earth attitude. Valverde is not an eccentric star. He often appears monosyllabic to the outside world and has always preferred to let his legs do the talking rather than his tongue. His origins may also play a role here. "If I hadn't become a professional cyclist, I would probably have become a lorry driver"Valverde once said. Just like his father. Well, thanks to his successes, he can now afford a Ferrari.
But in the Hometown Murcia he allegedly still goes to the same cafés as before and hangs out with the clique from his youth. At least that's what his mates, who have a Valverde fan club and post video snippets of joint training rides and coffee breaks on the internet.
Dark chapter in Alejandro Valverde's career
However, it is not only due to the orientation of the racing team, but also to the dark chapter in Valverde's life that he does not have more trophies in his cabinet: his two-year doping ban in 2010 and 2011. "Valv. piti" he was on the customer list of the Madrid gynaecologist Eufemiano Fuenteswhich is being investigated by the Spanish police into the "Operaçion Puerto" became public in parts. The doping doctor cared for the elite of racing for many years, from Jan Ullrich until Ivan Basso, with blood bags and individually customised EPO rations. Ullrich's career then came to an abrupt end. Basso returned, albeit at a lower level. Valverde's career on the other hand, continued seamlessly after the two-year lockdown.
No questions about Operation Puerto
Four of his five victories at the Flèche Wallonne After the lockdown, the Spaniard won two of his four triumphs in Liège likewise. His from Team Principal Unzue The admired ability to recover remained a success factor - during the peak phase of the EPO doping as well as in the subsequent era of microdosing and supposedly clean cycling. That is remarkable. He is reluctant to be asked about this topic. "No questions about Puerto"his racing team Movistar before the interview for the career review. "I think cycling now is super clean. We are monitored very closely. A lot has changed"the outgoing veteran was asked about the doping problem.
Enthusiastic about Pogačar
However, one thing has definitely changed in current cycling: the riding style in the races. "People are driving more aggressively now than before. I think that's good"enthuses Valverde. He's really enthusiastic about how Pogačar or van der Poel drive. "They are great racing drivers, with instinct and ideas." The Generation change He attributes the fact that he was still able to keep up more than passably well into his old age as a racing driver to his training. This was already Lower volumes and higher intensities when many others were still focussing on long rides. "I think that's also one of the reasons for my success. I never had weeks with 30 or 32 hours of training, but always between 20 and 25 hours maximum. The focus was on speed"he explains. Before Alejandro Valverde only wants to get on his bike for casual rides with his mates and spend more time with his four children, he wants to be a part of the Vuelta a Españawould love to win another stage. It would be his 13th stage win.
19 years ago, he won the Sierra de la Pandera. Where he confirmed his international breakthrough in 2003, the 14th stage ends this year. A circle would be complete.
New team jersey in honour of Alejandro Valverde
Recently, Team Movistar presented the new Team jerseywhich was designed in honour of Alejandro Valverde.
