Alejandro Valverde

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Diethard.Vlaeminck (talk | contribs) at 08:39, 5 August 2020. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Spanish name 2

Alejandro Valverde
Valverde at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships
Personal information
Full nameAlejandro Valverde Belmonte
NicknameBalaverde (The Green Bullet)
El Bala (The Bullet)
El Imbatido (The Unbeaten)
Born (1980-04-25) 25 April 1980 (age 44)
Las Lumbreras, Spain
Height1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight61 kg (134 lb; 9 st 8 lb)[1]
Team information
Current teamYou have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeAll-rounder[2]
Amateur teams
1989–1998Puente Tocinos
1999Banesto Amateur
2000–2001Kelme–Costa Blanca Amateur
Professional teams
2002–2004You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

2005–2010You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

2012–You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
4 individual stages (2005, 2008, 2012)
Giro d'Italia
1 individual stage (2016)
Vuelta a España
General classification (2009)
Points classification (2012, 2013, 2015, 2018)
Combination classification (2003, 2009, 2012)
13 individual stages[N 1]
2 TTT stages (2012, 2014)

Stage races

Critérium du Dauphiné (2008, 2009)
Volta a Catalunya (2009, 2017, 2018)
Tour of the Basque Country (2017)
Abu Dhabi Tour (2018)
Route d'Occitanie (2018, 2019)
Vuelta a Andalucía (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
Vuelta a Burgos (2004, 2009)
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (2004, 2007, 2018)

One-day races and Classics

World Road Race Championships (2018)
National Road Race Championships (2008, 2015, 2019)
National Time Trial Championships (2014)
Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2006, 2008, 2015, 2017)
La Flèche Wallonne (2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Clásica de San Sebastián (2008, 2014)
Roma Maxima (2014)
GP Miguel Induráin (2014, 2018)

Other

UCI ProTour (2006, 2008)
UCI World Tour (2014, 2015)
UCI World Ranking (2018)
Vélo d'Or (2018)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
Men's road bicycle racing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Innsbruck Road race
Silver medal – second place 2003 Hamilton Road race
Silver medal – second place 2005 Madrid Road race
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Salzburg Road race
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Valkenburg Road race
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Florence Road race
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Ponferrada Road race
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Tunis Road race

Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born 25 April 1980) is a Spanish road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Overall, Valverde has 127 professional wins. Prior to his Worlds win, he already held the record for most medals won at World Championships – he twice collected the silver medal in the World Championships, in 2003 and 2005, as well as the bronze four times in 2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014. As of 2019, Valverde has placed in the Top 10 of a Grand Tour nineteen times. Valverde is rare in combining different specialities in road bicycle racing, being a strong climbing specialist, sprinter and a good time-trialist. The online database Cycling Ranking ranks him as the 4th best cyclist of all time.

After a lengthy court battle, he was suspended for two years as part of the Operación Puerto blood doping investigation, but he returned to competition in 2012 upon completion of the ban. All his results from 2010 were stripped, including the overall win in the 2010 Tour de Romandie, and he did not compete in 2011.

Biography

Born in Las Lumbreras, Murcia, Valverde came from a cycling family, his father Juan was an amateur bicycle racer and bought him a bike when he was six years old.[6] His brother Juan Francisco was also an amateur road racing cyclist. Valverde's first race was in Jumilla, in his region of Murcia, and he finished second. On the following week he won his second race in Yecla.[7] He allegedly took more than fifty consecutive victories between 11 and 13 years old, earning him the nickname El Imbatido (The Unbeaten).[8]

Amateur career

Due to his many wins, Valverde was offered to ride for the elite amateur team Banesto based in Navarre, some distance away from his home in Murcia. Perhaps due to the exhaustion from having to travel back and forth every weekend, his performance suffered while with the team.[8]

He moved to the development team of the You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. professional squad and was coached by Francisco Moya, whom he credited with helping him become a better cyclist. Kelme also promised to allow him to move to the professional squad if he showed good performance. At the end of his first season with the Kelme amateur squad, they offered to move him to the professional squad.[8]

Kelme (2002–2004)

Valverde turned professional in 2002 when he signed a contract with the Spanish team You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

In the 2004 season he decided to stay with Kelme despite the team's financial woes and offers from other teams. 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 taking fourth in the Vuelta a España. Although he won a stage in the Vuelta, he was injured in a crash that forced him to downscale his ambitions in the overall classification.[10] He also participated in the Summer Olympics.

Caisse d'Epargne/Movistar (2005–present)

2005

Valverde at the 2005 Tour de France

Valverde joined the UCI ProTeam You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

2006

Valverde at the 2006 Tour de France

In 2006, Valverde won a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country, finishing 2nd overall and capturing the points competition. He then completed a prestigious double in the Spring classics, winning La Flèche Wallonne and taking victory four days later at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Valverde subsequently won a stage in the Tour de Romandie finishing 3rd overall. Valverde planned to challenge at the 2006 Tour de France, and stated that he hoped to win in the future. He went to the Pinarello bicycle factory in Treviso, Italy, to optimize his time-trialing performance. In fact he started among the favourites for the Tour after the withdrawal of Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso due to a doping investigation. However, on the third stage of the race, Valverde crashed, and had to abandon the Tour with a fractured right collarbone. His ambition to win a Grand Tour shifted to the Vuelta a España, later that year.

Valverde entered the Vuelta a España as the top favorite. Since he did not ride a full Tour de France he was in better condition than some of the other candidates for the victory: defending champion Denis Menchov and Carlos Sastre both ended in the top 10 of the Tour de France and were expected to be somewhat fatigued. Valverde won the 7th stage and dominated mountain stages, earning him the gold leader jersey after stage 9. Valverde lost the jersey however due to the aggressive climbing and attacking of Alexander Vinokourov. In the last time trial, Valverde again lost time on Vinokourov and had to settle for the 2nd place in the overall standings, his second podium finish in a Grand Tour. Following his impressive performance in the Vuelta, Valverde won yet another major title, winning the UCI ProTour with several major races still left on the calendar as his point lead had reached unassailable levels. At the UCI Road World Championships, Valverde was considered one of the favorites for the title. Although he did not win, he was able to finish 3rd and claim a bronze medal.

2007

He started 2007 by winning the overall classification at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Vuelta a Murcia. In stage 4 of the Vuelta a Murcia, Valverde accomplished his first win in an individual time trial.[15] He also finished third in the Critérium International and fifth in the Tour of the Basque Country. In the Ardennes classics he took second place in both La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, unable to repeat the double victory of 2006 season. In the Tour de France, Valverde was seen as one of the favorites for the yellow jersey until he had a disastrous individual time trial that diminished his chances of fighting for the overall classification. He subsequently finished sixth overall, eleven minutes behind, and thus finished his first Tour de France after being unable to complete the race in 2005 and 2006. He decided not to race the Vuelta a España in order to prepare for the UCI Road World Championships.[16]

On 29 August 2007, the UCI announced that they prevented Valverde from riding the World Championships in Stuttgart because of his possible implication in the Operación Puerto doping case to safeguard the atmosphere and reputation of the World Championships.[17] The UCI also called upon the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) to open disciplinary proceedings against the rider, but RFEC refused to comply with the UCI's request, saying there was no new evidence against him. RFEC also included Valverde in its squad for the World Championships, where he ended up 2nd.[18] The matter was taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which authorised Valverde to participate in the World Championships.[19]

2008

Valverde at the 2008 Vuelta a España, wearing the blue jersey of points classification leader.

In 2008, Valverde showed strong form in the spring. After winning the Vuelta a Murcia, Valverde was focused on training. He announced his readiness with a podium finish in the Klasika Primavera and a triumph at the Paris–Camembert. These successes foreshadowed excellent results in the Ardennes classics: a podium at the Amstel Gold Race and victory in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Valverde also won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and the Spanish National Road Race Championships in June. On 5 July, Valverde won the first stage of the Tour de France. His form faltered in the Pyrenees, and after being dropped on the Col du Tourmalet, eventually losing 5' 52" to stage winner Leonardo Piepoli, scrapping hopes of a podium finish. He performed better in the Alps and claimed a top ten finish. On Alpe d'Huez it appeared that he was working alongside You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

He followed the Tour with a strong victory in the Clásica de San Sebastián, leading out the sprint and holding off Alexandr Kolobnev and Davide Rebellin. Later, at the Vuelta a España, he started strong, winning the second stage and wearing the general classification leader's jersey on the third one. He was among the leaders in the first week. However, he lost around two minutes on a very wet stage to Saunces and any chance of a podium finish. However, he ended up in fourth position overall at the end with some strong performances including an impressive ride up the Angliru, where he was only bettered by Alberto Contador and then a good performance in the mountain time-trial. Before the participation at the UCI Road World Championships at Varese, he was mathematically proclaimed the UCI ProTour winner, being his second win in the four editions of the competition.

2009

Valverde wearing the leader's jersey at the 2009 Vuelta a España

Valverde started 2009 in good form by taking the points and mountains classifications in the Vuelta a Castilla y León while finishing 9th overall with two stage victories. He could not repeat his successes of the last few years in the spring classics with his best result being a 7th at La Flèche Wallonne. He won the Klasika Primavera and the Volta a Catalunya to put those disappointments behind him. With the threat of not racing the Tour de France hanging over his head he entered the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré hoping to prove his worth. He performed consistently throughout the two early time-trials to stay in touch with the leaders before finishing second on Mont Ventoux to take the lead in the overall classification. Though Cadel Evans repeatedly attacked him in the final days he stayed on his wheel, with the help of compatriot Alberto Contador, to take the yellow jersey. On the back of these successes he appealed his ban by the Italian authorities with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the hope of racing the tour.

On 20 September 2009, Valverde clinched the overall victory in the Vuelta a España.[20] Despite having no stage victories, Valverde's consistency in the mountains allowed him to keep his race all the way to end that he captured on stage 9.

2010

All his 2010 results were annulled because of the suspension.

2012

Valverde at the 2012 Tour de France; he won the seventeenth stage of the race.

Valverde made his return to the peloton during the Tour Down Under, the first race of the UCI World Tour season.[21] He won the race's fifth stage – the queen stage of the event – by out-sprinting You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia.'s Simon Gerrans in a two-man sprint in Willunga,[22] and finished second overall.[23] He earned his first overall victory since his return, by winning February's Vuelta a Andalucía,[24] as well as achieving a stage victory during the race. Valverde also finished third in Paris–Nice, and by winning stage 3 showed good form for the upcoming Tour de France. In the Tour de France he sat casually in the peloton until initiating a breakaway in stage 17, which he held onto after breaking away from the other 16 riders in the breakaway. You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. almost chased him down, ending only 19 seconds adrift; it was Valverde's fourth Tour de France stage victory.

Valverde entered the Vuelta a España as a lieutenant to the defending champion Juan José Cobo in the You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia..[25] However, Valverde would soon become the leader when it became apparent that Cobo was not in top form.[26] His You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. started off with a victory in the first stage, a team time trial.[27] Valverde would take the lead of the general, points and combination classifications after winning Stage 3, in which he chased down repeated attacks from Alberto Contador and outsprinted Joaquim Rodríguez at the finishing line.[28] He would subsequently lose the lead to Rodríguez, but won the eighth stage atop the Collada de la Gallina in Andorra. Contador broke away from the small lead group and looked like he was heading for the win, but Rodríguez and Valverde passed him with less than 100 m (330 ft) to go, with Valverde taking the win.[29] Valverde ultimately finished the Vuelta in second position overall after being a constant threat for the leader, which was Rodríguez until stage 17 where Contador soloed to victory and grabbed the lead,[30] which he would not relinquish. Valverde won both the points and combination classification jerseys on the final day from Rodríguez as a result of a sixth-place finish on the very last stage in Madrid.[31]

Valverde had to settle for a bronze medal in the World Championships in Valkenburg, as he was unable to reach Philippe Gilbert who attacked on the final climb of the Cauberg. He was the first of a group of 27 riders who had a five seconds deficit on the Belgian when crossing the line.[32] He was supposed to participate in the Giro di Lombardia, but announced on the morning of the race that he was suffering from influenza and was putting an end to his 2012 season.[33]

2013

Valverde, wearing the green jersey of points classification leader, at the 2013 Vuelta a España

As in 2012, Valverde won the overall classification of the Vuelta a Andalucía in 2013, where he also won the points classification in the race.[34] Valverde continued showing some good form after finishing with podium places in the Vuelta a Murcia, the Amstel Gold Race and in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. After having a decent spring campaign, Valverde aimed for a podium finish in the Tour de France.[35] Valverde started the Tour in good form after finishing third in Ax3 Domaines behind Chris Froome and Richie Porte. However the next day, Porte lost over 15 minutes which moved Valverde into second overall right before the tour left the Pyrenees. On Stage 13, Valverde lost almost 10 minutes after getting a flat tyre. Despite a very hard pursuit, the high crosswinds and the pace of the peloton prevented him and his teammates from catching back. They ended up with the second group at the finish causing him to slip out of the top ten.[36] Despite losing his second position, Valverde managed to do well in the Alps which moved him back into the top ten of the overall standings, finishing 8th overall.[37]

At the Vuelta a España, after stage 10, Valverde sat fourth overall a minute behind race leader Chris Horner. However, on stage 11, he moved back up into 3rd after finishing 8th in the time trial. On stage 14, on a rainy descent, Valverde was dropped by the G.C. contenders entering the final climb a minute back. He managed to limit his losses on the final climb staying within a minute of his rivals, though losing close to a minute on Nibali, Horner, and Joaquim Rodríguez. On stage 16, he managed to cut back a handful of seconds on Nibali and Horner. He entered the penultimate stage 20 a minute behind the race leader. He came third of the stage which finished atop the steep Alto de l'Angliru, securing a podium finish in the general classification, one minute and 36 seconds behind race winner Horner.[38] At the World Championships, he took the third place, but was criticized for failing to cover the late attack of Portuguese Rui Costa.[39] Costa eventually reached and out sprinted Rodríguez, Valverde's Spanish teammate.

2014

Alejandro Valverde greets the public before the start of Dwars door Vlaanderen 2014.

In the Tour de France, Valverde ended in fourth place in the general classification. On 2 August 2014 Valverde won the Clásica de San Sebastián for the second time in his career. He won the first uphill finish of the Vuelta a España by powering away from the leaders after leading the group for most of the final climb.[40] He finished the Spanish Grand Tour on the third step of the podium behind Chris Froome and the overall winner Alberto Contador.[41] After the Vuelta, it was announced that Valverde had signed a three-year contract with his You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

2015

Valverde on the podium after winning the 2015 Liège–Bastogne–Liège

Valverde grabbed three stage victories in the Volta a Catalunya. On stage 2, he got the better of a bunch sprint and helped score a 1–2 for the You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Valverde at the 2015 Tour de France.

He went one better the following Sunday, winning the sprint of a small group of riders to impose himself on Liège–Bastogne–Liège. It was the third time in his career Valverde had won La Doyenne.[50] It was also the second time that he had won Liège–Bastogne–Liège and La Flèche Wallonne in the same year, becoming only the second rider to have achieved this double twice, after Ferdinand Kübler.[51] In June, he won the Spanish National Road Race Championships.[52] At the Tour de France, Valverde finished on the podium in 3rd place, his first podium finish at the Tour; achieving a lifelong dream of a top 3 finish. With that finish he had one career goal left, a World Championship victory.[53][54]

2016

Valverde's main goals for the 2016 season were the Ardennes classics, the Giro d'Italia and the Road Race at the Olympic Games in Rio. He started his season by taking the overall at the Vuelta a Andalucía in February. He out-powered the rest of the contenders, including Tejay van Garderen and Rafał Majka, on the climb up to the finish on the final stage. Valverde changed his initial plan of riding the Tour of Flanders and went to Tenerife to prepare for the Giro. He returned to competition by winning two stages and the overall at the Vuelta a Castilla y León which he chose to race instead of the Amstel Gold Race, a race still lacking from his palmáres. The following Wednesday he took his third consecutive La Flèche Wallonne victory and became the most prolific winner of the "smaller" Ardennes Classic with his fourth win. He showed his climbing prowess by controlling up until the last 150 metres (490 feet) when he accelerated away from his rivals to take the victory. The Sunday following, he went out to repeat his Ardennes double from 2015 by securing another Liège–Bastogne–Liège win but he fell short and only managed to finish 16th.

Valverde at the 2016 Tour de France

Valverde was named in the start list for the Giro d'Italia, his first participation in the Italian race.[55] Valverde rode a consistent race but struggled in the high mountains especially on the queen stage in the Dolomites where he lost more than three minutes. He fought back the very next day with a third place in the mountain time trial and managed to win his first Giro d'Italia stage the day after the rest day in Andalo, his 14th stage win over the three Grand Tours. He secured his spot on the podium by outclimbing Steven Kruijswijk on the very last mountain stage and finished third overall, becoming only the 16th cyclist to finish on the podium in each of the three Grand Tours. Later that year, by finishing sixth in the Tour de France, Valverde made it nine consecutive top 10 finishes in his last nine grand tour starts, a feat that had not happened since the days of Miguel Induráin.

2017

In February 2017 Valverde took his first win of the season at the Vuelta a Murcia, a race that he had previously won four times. He followed this up with a win in the Vuelta a Andalucía for the fifth time in six years, defeating runner-up Alberto Contador by a single second and winning stage one in the process.[2] The overall win was the 100th victory in Valverde's career. After not starting Paris–Nice due to illness, Valverde went on to dominate the Volta a Catalunya by winning stages three, five, and seven and beating runner-up Contador by over a minute.[56] This was done in spite of him and his team being given a one-minute penalty for "pushes" in the opening team time trial. At the Tour of the Basque Country, Valverde won stage five and went into the final day's individual time trial as the race leader, albeit on the same time as You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. by just nine seconds, and he beat Contador by fourteen seconds, extending his overall lead,[57] and giving Valverde his third stage race victory of the season.
Valverde during Stage 1 of the 2017 Tour de France, shortly before a crash which ended his involvement in the race and cut short his season.

He punctuated his dominance in La Flèche Wallonne by winning the race for the fourth consecutive year and the fifth time overall.[58] A few days later in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Valverde fended off a late attack from Dan Martin and managed to outsprint him at the line and take his fourth win in the event.[59] After taking time off from racing to train at a 25-day altitude camp at Sierra Nevada, Valverde raced in the Critérium du Dauphiné, where in the stage four time trial he clocked the third best time, losing out only to world time trial champion Tony Martin (You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia.'s Richie Porte by twelve and twenty-four seconds respectively.[60] He managed to put time into the rest of his general classification rivals, including Contador, Bardet, and most notably, defending champion Chris Froome (You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia.). Over the subsequent mountain stages, Valverde was consistently aggressive, however it failed to pay off and by the end of the Dauphiné he was 4 minutes 8 seconds down on You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia.'s Jakob Fuglsang, in ninth place overall.[61] Going into the Tour de France, Valverde stated that he would work for his teammate Nairo Quintana, however he was still considered an outside bet for the final podium by many pundits. On the opening individual time trial stage, Valverde crashed on a tight corner and was forced to abandon the Tour immediately;[62] his first Grand Tour withdrawal since 2006. He suffered a fractured kneecap, ruling him out for several months.[63] Ultimately, Valverde opted to end his 2017 season because of his knee injury with the hope of making his comeback at the start of the 2018 season.

2018

Valverde winning the 2018 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race

Valverde returned to racing at the Challenge Mallorca in late January 2018.[64] At the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, he took his first victory after his comeback, winning stage two and taking the overall lead in the process.[65] The following weekend, he finished second to compatriot Luis León Sánchez in the Vuelta a Murcia.[66] Later in February, Valverde claimed overall victory at the Abu Dhabi Tour, winning the stage to Jebel Hafeet.[67] Valverde finished 17 seconds clear of Dutch rider Wilco Kelderman from You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

In March, Valverde rode the Strade Bianche classic, held partially on gravel roads in torrential rain. He finished fourth, 1 minute and 25 seconds behind winner Tiesj Benoot of You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia..[68] Later that month, Valverde won the Volta a Catalunya for the third time in his career.[69] Valverde won the second and fourth stages during the race, taking the race lead – and the mountains jersey as well – for good after his second stage victory. He finished 29 seconds clear of his nearest rival, teammate Nairo Quintana, after Quintana's Colombian compatriot Egan Bernal (You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

After a lengthy break he won the Route d'Occitanie stage race in June where he prepared for the Tour de France. He made several long attacks in service of his teammates Quintana and Mikel Landa but all the three You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

  • {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. leaders failed to threaten the podium. Valverde returned for the Vuelta a España where was supposed to work for Quintana. He won stage 2 in an uphill sprint and stage 8 in a reduced bunch sprint, beating then World Champion Peter Sagan in the latter. He maintained a high position in the general classification until the last weekend and still had a chance of overall victory. He struggled in the last two stages in Andorra and only managed to finish 5th, but won the points classification for a record-equalling fourth time.

Valverde won the gold medal at the UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, in his twelfth participation. He triumphed in a small group sprint at the finish line ahead of Romain Bardet, Michael Woods and Tom Dumoulin, becoming the second oldest Road World Champion in history after Joop Zoetemelk. An emotional Valverde called this his biggest ever victory and one he has chased for 15 years.[70]

2019

Valverde took his first major result of 2019 when he finished second overall to Ion Izagirre in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.[71] He then finished second again, this time to Luis León Sánchez, at the Vuelta a Murcia.[72] At the 2019 UAE Tour, Valverde took his first victory as World Champion by winning the sprint at the summit finish of stage 3.[73][74] He would go on to finish the race in second place overall.[75]

During the spring classics, Valverde rode the Tour of Flanders, his first participation in the monument. He finished the race in eighth place.[76] Valverde endured a difficult end to his spring campaign. At the Flèche Wallonne, he swallowed a bee during the race and eventually finished 11th. A crash in the leadup to Liège–Bastogne–Liège resulted in a bone edema. Valverde started the race, not knowing of the severity of his injury, and then abandoned during the event, the first time he had not finished. After recovering from his injuries, he returned to racing at the Route d'Occitanie,[77] which he won.[78] On 30 June, he won the Spanish National Road Race Championships for the third time in his career.[79] At the Tour de France, he finished ninth overall.[80]

At the Vuelta a España, Valverde took victory at stage 7 of the race, a summit finish at Mas de la Costa.[81] He would eventually finish the Vuelta in second place overall, 2:16 minutes behind Primož Roglič.[82] At the World Championship road race in Yorkshire, run in very rainy conditions, Valverde abandoned his title defence with about 60 km (37 mi) to go.[83] Towards the end of the season, he finished second to Bauke Mollema at Il Lombardia.[84]

Doping

Alejandro Valverde has been linked by documentary and DNA evidence to the Operación Puerto, a blood-doping affair which erupted in May 2006 against doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and a number of accomplices. It uncovered doping products, bags of blood and human plasma, and code names that appeared to link top athletes, including up to 60 cyclists, to a highly organized system of doping, which relied heavily on blood transfusions.[85]

Valverde was not initially linked in the investigation, but documents from Madrid's Court 31 linked Valverde to a single bag of human plasma of the 211 total bags of blood and plasma seized in the investigation. The bag of human plasma was labelled with the codes Valv, Piti and 18.[86][87] In 2007 Valverde was banned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) from competing in the UCI Road World Championships in Stuttgart but Valverde was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to compete at the championships.[88] Dick Pound, World Anti-Doping Agency president, said the CAS decision did not mean that Valverde was no longer a suspect.[89]

In early 2009 the Italian National Olympic Committee matched DNA samples taken from Valverde during a rest day in Italy of the 2008 Tour de France to plasma seized in the Operación Puerto investigation.[90] At a February 2009 appearance in front of the Olympic Committee, Valverde maintained his innocence and questioned the Italians' jurisdiction over this case. In May 2009, the Italian Olympic Committee suspended him from competition in Italy for 2 years, effectively barring him from the 2009 Tour de France, which detoured briefly onto Italian soil.[91] Valverde filed an unsuccessful appeal against the Italian ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sport; in a second hearing on 18–21 March 2010, the UCI and WADA contested the Spanish Cycling Federation's decision not to open a case against Valverde.[92]

Finally, on 31 May 2010 it was announced the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the appeals from WADA and the UCI and Valverde was banned for two years, starting 1 January 2010, but rejected the request that any results obtained by the athlete prior to the beginning of the suspension be annulled.[93][94] After serving the two-year suspension Alejandro Valverde returned to competition in 2012 riding for the You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead:

Alerting users

  • {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification.
  • {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation.
  • {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic.
  • {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic.

Editnotices

Talk page notices

Miscellaneous

Career achievements

Main article: List of career achievements by Alejandro Valverde

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ Valverde has won 13 stages over a period of 10 races at the Vuelta a España. He won two stages in 2003, 2012, and 2018, and one each in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2019

References

  1. ^ a b "Alejandro Valverde". You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users * {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. * {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. * {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. * {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices * {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. * {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices * {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. * {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. * If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous * {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. Movistar Team. Retrieved 6 July 2019. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); line feed character in |work= at position 197 (help)
  2. ^ a b Fotheringham, Alasdair (19 February 2017). "Valverde celebrates 100th career win at Ruta del Sol". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  3. ^ Stokes, Shane (30 December 2011). "Juan Jose Cobo signs two year contract with Movistar team". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Movistar Team launches 2019 season with highest hopes". Telefónica. Telefónica, S.A. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Movistar Team ready to open new era in 2020". You have called {{Contentious topics}}. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users * {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. * {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. * {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. * {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices * {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. * {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices * {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. * {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. * If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous * {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. Abarca Sports SL. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); line feed character in |work= at position 197 (help)
  6. ^ "El portento del pelotón". elperiodicodearagon.com. 14 October 2003. Archived from the original on 24 March 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
  7. ^ "Valverde: Siempre campeón, en la bici y en la noche de bodas". as.com. 13 July 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  8. ^ a b c "Valverde: "Mis sueños de niño se están haciendo realidad"". as.com. 24 December 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  9. ^ "Day 6 – October 12: Elite Men Road Race, 260.4 km". cyclingnews.com. 12 October 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  10. ^ "X-rays OK for Valverde". cyclingnews.com. 15 September 2004. Retrieved 29 December 2007.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Valverde confirms close deal with Illes Balears". cyclingnews.com. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  12. ^ "Stage 10 – Tuesday, July 12: Brignoud – Courchevel, 181 km". cyclingnews.com. 12 July 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  13. ^ "Stage 13 – Friday, July 15: Miramas – Montpellier, 173.5 km". cyclingnews.com. 15 July 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  14. ^ "Race 6 – September 25: Elite men's road race, 273km". cyclingnews.com. 25 September 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  15. ^ "Stage 4 – March 10: Alhama De Murcia – Aledo ITT, 23.3 km". cyclingnews.com. 10 March 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  16. ^ "Monday's EuroFile: Valverde at Burgos; No Vuelta for Astana; Farrar on reserve". velonews.com. 13 August 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  17. ^ "Press release : Puerto affair : the UCI seeks disciplinary proceedings against Alejandro Valverde". uci.ch. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  18. ^ "Spain defy Valverde world champs ban". uk.eurosport.yahoo.com. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.[dead link]
  19. ^ "Alejandro Valverde Authorised to ride in the World Championships in Stuttgart". tas-cas.org. 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  20. ^ "Valverde wins Tour of Spain crown". BBC Sport. 20 September 2009. Archived from the original on 21 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  21. ^ "Alejandro Valverde to ride in Tour Down Under". USA Today. David Hunke; Gannett Company. Associated Press. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  22. ^ Brown, Gregor (21 January 2012). "Valverde wins Tour Down Under stage five, Gerrans in lead". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Limited. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  23. ^ Hinds, Alex (22 January 2012). "Gerrans crowned Tour Down Under champion in Adelaide". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  24. ^ Hymas, Peter (19 February 2012). "Valverde wins Vuelta a Andalucia". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  25. ^ "Movistar emphasises Vuelta leadership role is for Cobo". 13 August 2012.
  26. ^ Will Protheroe (20 August 2012). "2012 Vuelta a España: Alejandro Valverde Wins Stage 3, Takes Overall Lead". Bleacherreport. 2012 Bleacher Report, Inc. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  27. ^ "Vuelta Stage 1: Movistar take team time trial in Pamplona, but it's tight at the top". 18 August 2012.
  28. ^ "Vuelta Stage 3: Valverde beats Rodriguez on the line, Froome responds to Contador attacks". 20 August 2012.
  29. ^ Susan Westemeyer (25 August 2012). "Valverde denies Contador the Vuelta stage win". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  30. ^ Susan Westemeyer (5 September 2012). "Contador solos to stage win, Vuelta lead". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  31. ^ Atkins, Ben (9 September 2012). "John Degenkolb gets number five on final stage as Contador wins". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  32. ^ Atkins, Ben (23 September 2012). "Philippe Gilbert solos to World road race championship". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  33. ^ "Valverde out of Tour of Lombardy with influenza, ends season". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  34. ^ "Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol: Valverde clocks up fourth win in just seven days of racing". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  35. ^ Peter Cossins (28 June 2013). "Valverde: I'll finish on Tour de France podium if all goes to plan". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  36. ^ Kenny Pryde (12 July 2013). "Mark Cavendish wins, Alejandro Valverde loses on stage 13 of the Tour de France". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  37. ^ "Classifications". Tour de France. ASO. 21 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  38. ^ Daniel Benson (15 September 2013). "Chris Horner wins 2013 Vuelta a Espana". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  39. ^ Shane Stokes (30 September 2013). "Video: Rodriguez and Valverde face criticism over Spanish team tactics at world championship road race". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  40. ^ "Valverde wins stage 6 of the Vuelta a Espana". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  41. ^ "Contador seals overall 2014 Vuelta a España victory". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  42. ^ "Alejandro Valverde signs new 3-year deal with Movistar". USA Today. Associated Press. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  43. ^ "Michal Kwiatkowski wins road world title". CBC. CBC 2014. Associated Press. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  44. ^ Pete Cossins (5 October 2014). "Martin wins Il Lombardia". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  45. ^ "Volta a Catalunya: Valverde wins in Olot". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  46. ^ "Valverde wins again in Catalunya". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  47. ^ Stephen Puddicombe (29 March 2015). "Richie Porte holds off Valverde to seal overall win in Catalunya". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Sports & Leisure network. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  48. ^ "Kwiatkowski sprints to first victory in rainbow jersey in Amstel Gold Race". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 19 April 2015. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  49. ^ "Valverde wins La Fleche Wallonne 2015". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  50. ^ Nigel Wynn (26 April 2015). "Alejandro Valverde wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2015". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Sports & Leisure network. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  51. ^ "Five conclusions from Liège-Bastogne-Liège". cyclingnews.com. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  52. ^ Axelgaard, Emil (28 June 2015). "Valverde fires warning shot with Spanish road race win". Cycling Quotes. CyclingQuotes.com 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  53. ^ Alexandre Herbinet (26 July 2015). "Tour de France: Valverde, le podium patient" (in French). BFM TV.
  54. ^ "Valverde: "This is something I've pursued all my life"". Marca.com. 25 July 2015.
  55. ^ "99th Giro d'Italia Startlist". Pro Cycling Stats. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  56. ^ "Etapa 7, Diumenge 26 de març del 2017: Barcelona (Montjuïc) – Barcelona (Montjuïc) (138,700 Km.)" [Stage 7, Sunday 26 March 2017: Barcelona (Montjuïc) – Barcelona (Montjuïc) (138.700 Km.)] (PDF). Edosof.com (in Spanish). Edosof Timing Systems. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  57. ^ "Valverde wins the Vuelta al Pais Vasco". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  58. ^ Ryan, Barry (19 April 2017). "Valverde wins his record fifth Fleche Wallonne". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  59. ^ "Liege-Bastogne-Liege: Alejandro Valverde wins after tributes for Scarponi". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  60. ^ Cunningham, Craig (7 June 2017). "Richie Porte powers to Critérium du Dauphiné stage four victory". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  61. ^ "Jakob Fuglsang wins Criterium du Dauphine". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  62. ^ "Valverde crashes out of Tour de France". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  63. ^ "Movistar confirm broken kneecap for Valverde". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  64. ^ "Valverde back in action at Challenge Mallorca". cyclingnews.com. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  65. ^ Farrand, Stephen (1 February 2018). "Valverde wins stage 2 at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  66. ^ "Luis León Sanchez wins Vuelta a Murcia Valverde, Gilbert complete podium". CyclingNews. Immediate Media Company. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  67. ^ "Abu Dhabi, stage 5: Valverde climbs to stage win and overall title". VeloNews. Competitor Group. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  68. ^ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/strade-bianche-2018/results/
  69. ^ "Volta a Catalunya: Simon Yates wins final stage, Valverde takes overall". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  70. ^ Jennings, Simon (30 September 2018). Davis, Toby (ed.). "Cycling – Valverde wins men's World Championship road race". reuters.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  71. ^ "Izagirre wins Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana". cyclingnews.com. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  72. ^ "Luis León Sánchez se lleva la Vuelta a Murcia". Marca (in Spanish). 16 February 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  73. ^ Windsor, Richard (26 February 2019). "Alejandro Valverde times effort perfectly to win UAE Tour 2019 stage three summit finish". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  74. ^ Lee, Aaron S. (26 February 2019). "UAE Tour: Alejandro Valverde records first win in rainbow jersey atop Jebel Hafeet". Eurosport. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  75. ^ "Roglic dominates UAE Tour from start to finish". Union Cycliste Internationale. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  76. ^ Fletcher, Patrick (7 April 2019). "Valverde: I'm not sure I can win Flanders but I'll be back". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  77. ^ "Valverde to ride Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana". cyclingnews.com. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  78. ^ "Valverde completes back-to-back Route d'Occitanie wins". Eurosport. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  79. ^ "National road race championships roundup". VeloNews. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  80. ^ "106th Tour de France (2.UWT)". procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  81. ^ Benson, Daniel (30 August 2019). "Vuelta a Espana: Valverde wins stage 7". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  82. ^ "Vuelta a España: Roglic clinches overall victory". cyclingnews.com. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  83. ^ Fotheringham, William (29 September 2019). "Mads Pedersen wins men's elite road race at sodden world championships". The Guardian. Harrogate. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  84. ^ "Bauke Mollema wins Tour of Lombardy for first classic victory". BBC. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  85. ^ "Puerto case to be reopened". velonews.com. 14 February 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  86. ^ "211 bolsas para 35 deportistas". El Pais.com. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  87. ^ "No EPO in Basso's blood bags but different for Valverde". cyclingnews.com. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  88. ^ See 2007 season section for further information.
  89. ^ "Puerto case to be reopened". velonews.com. 15 November 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  90. ^ "No EPO in Basso's blood bags but different for Valverde". cyclingnews.com. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  91. ^ Prosecutor Recommends 2 Year Ban SI.com, 1 April 2009
  92. ^ "Pro Cycling News". Daily Peloton. Archived from the original on 1 January 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  93. ^ "The CAS imposes a two-year ban on Alejandro Valverde". CAS. 31 May 2009. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  94. ^ "Alejandro Valverde handed two-year ban". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 31 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  95. ^ "Alejandro Valverde élu Vélo d'or 2018, Thibaut Pinot est le Vélo d'or français". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 27 October 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alejandro Valverde.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Spanish Road Race Champion
2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Spanish Road Race Champion
2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by La Flèche Wallonne
2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by La Flèche Wallonne
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2017 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alejandro_Valverde&oldid=971303808"