Biography Alejandro Valverde

1 biography

1.1 amateur career
1.2 kelme (2002–2004)
1.3 caisse d epargne/movistar (2005–present)

1.3.1 2006
1.3.2 2007
1.3.3 2008
1.3.4 2009
1.3.5 2010
1.3.6 2012
1.3.7 2013
1.3.8 2014
1.3.9 2015
1.3.10 2016
1.3.11 2017

biography

born in las lumbreras, murcia, valverde came cycling family, father juan amateur bicycle racer , bought him bike when 6 years old. brother juan francisco amateur road racing cyclist. valverde s first race in jumilla, in region of murcia, , finished second. on following week won second race in yecla. allegedly took more fifty consecutive victories between 11 , 13 years old, earning him nickname el imbatido (the unbeaten).

amateur career

due many wins, valverde offered ride elite amateur team banesto based in navarre, distance away home in murcia. perhaps due exhaustion having travel , forth every weekend, performance suffered while team.

he moved development team of kelme–costa blanca professional squad , coached francisco moya, whom credited helping him become better cyclist. kelme promised allow him move professional squad if showed performance. @ end of first season kelme amateur squad, offered move him professional squad.

kelme (2002–2004)

valverde turned professional in 2002 when signed contract spanish team kelme–costa blanca, whom stayed until end of 2004 season. during time kelme had breakthrough year in 2003 vuelta españa, won 2 stages , finished third in general classification. year won vuelta mallorca , stage in tour of basque country , other spanish races gp primavera , gp villafranca de ordizia. ended season second place in 2003 uci road world championships behind igor astarloa after winning sprint ahead of peter van petegem , paolo bettini.

in 2004 season decided stay kelme despite team s financial woes , offers other teams. went on win volta la comunitat valenciana, vuelta murcia, stage in tour of basque country, vuelta burgos , taking fourth in 2004 vuelta españa. although won stage in vuelta, injured in crash forced him downscale ambitions in overall classification. participated in 2004 summer olympics.

caisse d epargne/movistar (2005–present)

valverde @ 2005 tour de france

valverde joined uci proteam illes balears–caisse d epargne in 2005. won last stage in paris–nice , finished second overall behind bobby julich. took 2 stages in tour of basque country. in first ever appearance @ tour de france, won 10th stage of tour de france ahead of lance armstrong, whom beat in sprint courchevel @ end of mountain stage in alps. after stage 12, in 5th place on gc, 3 minutes , 16 seconds behind lance armstrong. leading in young rider classification (white jersey), 3-minute , 9 second lead on armstrong teammate yaroslav popovych. however, valverde forced withdraw tour during 13th stage because of knee injury. valverde recovered barely in time 2005 uci road world championships in madrid, spain. injury of Óscar freire, spanish team captain, forced him become team leader, despite having had 1 day of competition before worlds. amazingly, able competitive , finished second winner tom boonen.

2006

valverde @ 2006 tour de france

in 2006, valverde won stage in tour of basque country, finishing 2nd overall , capturing points competition. completed prestigious double in spring classics, winning la flèche wallonne , taking victory 4 days later @ liège–bastogne–liège. valverde subsequently won stage in tour de romandie finishing 3rd overall. valverde planned challenge @ 2006 tour de france, , has stated hopes win in future. went pinarello bicycle factory in treviso, italy, optimize time-trialing performance. in fact started among favourites tour after withdrawal of jan ullrich , ivan basso due doping investigation. however, on third stage of 2006 tour de france, valverde crashed, , had abandon tour fractured right collarbone. ambition win grand tour shifted vuelta, later year.

valverde entered 2006 vuelta top favorite. since did not ride full tour de france in better condition of other candidates victory: menchov (title defender) , sastre both ended in top 10 of 2006 tour de france , expected fatigued. valverde won 7th stage , dominated mountain stages, earning him gold leader jersey after stage 9. valverde lost jersey due aggressive climbing , attacking of alexander vinokourov. in last time trial, valverde again lost time on vinokourov , had settle 2nd place in overall standings, second podium finish in grand tour. following impressive performance in vuelta valverde won yet major title, winning 2006 uci protour several major races still left on calendar point lead had reached unassailable levels. @ 2006 world championship, valverde considered 1 of favorites title. although did not win, able finish 3rd , claim bronze medal.

2007

he started 2007 winning overall classification @ volta la comunitat valenciana , vuelta murcia. in stage 4 of vuelta murcia, valverde accomplished first win in individual time trial. finished third in critérium international , fifth in tour of basque country. in ardennes classics took second place in both la flèche wallonne , liège–bastogne–liège, unable repeat double victory of 2006 season. in tour de france, valverde seen 1 of favorites yellow jersey until had disastrous individual time trial diminished chances of fighting overall classification. subsequently finished sixth overall, eleven minutes behind, , finished first tour de france after being unable complete race in 2005 , 2006. decided not race vuelta españa in order prepare 2007 uci road world championships.

on 29 august 2007, uci announced prevented valverde riding 2007 uci road world championships in stuttgart because of possible implication in operación puerto doping case safeguard atmosphere , reputation of world championships. uci called upon spanish cycling federation (rfec) open disciplinary proceedings against rider, rfec refused comply uci s request, saying there no new evidence against him. rfec included valverde in squad world championships, ended 2nd. matter taken court of arbitration sport, authorised valverde participate in 2007 uci road world championships.

2008

valverde @ 2008 vuelta españa, wearing blue jersey of points classification leader.

in 2008, valverde showed strong form in spring. after winning vuelta murcia, valverde focused on training. announced readiness podium finish in klasika primavera , triumph @ paris–camembert. these successes foreshadowed excellent results in ardennes classics: podium @ amstel gold , victory in liège–bastogne–liège. valverde won critérium du dauphiné libéré , spanish national road race championships in june. on 5 july, valverde won first stage of tour de france. form faltered in pyrenees, , after being dropped on col du tourmalet, losing 5 52 stage winner leonardo piepoli, scrapping hopes of podium finish. performed better in alps , claimed top ten finish. on alpe d huez appeared working alongside csc–saxo bank try eliminate cadel evans.

he followed tour strong victory in clásica de san sebastián, leading out sprint , holding off alexandr kolobnev , davide rebellin. later, @ vuelta españa, started strong, winning second stage , wearing general classification leader on third one. among leaders in first week. however, lost around 2 minutes on wet stage saunces , chance of podium finish. however, ended in fourth position overall @ end strong performances including impressive ride angliru, bettered alberto contador , performance in mountain time-trial. before participation @ uci road world championships @ varese, mathematically proclaimed uci protour winner, being second win in 4 editions of competition.

2009

valverde wearing leader s jersey @ 2009 vuelta españa

valverde started 2009 in form taking points , mountains classifications in vuelta castilla y león while finishing 9th overall 2 stage victories. not repeat successes of last few years in spring classics best result being 7th @ la flèche wallonne. won klasika primavera , volta catalunya put disappointments behind him. threat of not racing tour de france hanging on head entered critérium du dauphiné libéré hoping prove worth. performed consistently throughout 2 time-trials stay in touch leaders before finishing second on mont ventoux take lead in overall classification. though cadel evans repeatedly attacked him in final days stayed on wheel, of compatriot alberto contador, take yellow jersey. on of these successes appealed ban italian authorities court of arbitration sport in hope of racing tour.

on 20 september 2009, valverde clinched overall victory in vuelta españa. despite having no stage victories, valverde s consistency in mountains allowed him keep race way end captured on stage 9.

2010

all 2010 results annulled because of suspension.

2012

valverde @ 2012 tour de france; won seventeenth stage of race.

valverde made return peloton during tour down under, first race of uci world tour season. won race s fifth stage – queen stage of event – out-sprinting greenedge s simon gerrans in two-man sprint in willunga, , finished second overall. earned first overall victory since return, winning february s vuelta andalucía, achieving stage victory during race. valverde finished third in paris–nice, , winning stage 3 showed form upcoming tour de france. in tour de france sat casually in peloton until initiating breakaway in stage 17, held onto after breaking away other 16 riders in breakaway. team sky chased him down, ending 19 seconds adrift. hence valverde won 4th tour de france stage of career.

valverde entered vuelta españa lieutenant defending champion juan josé cobo in movistar team. however, valverde become leader when became apparent cobo not in top form. movistar team started off victory in first stage, team time trial, of vuelta. valverde take lead of general classification, points classification, , combination classification after winning stage 3, in chased down repeated attacks alberto contador , outsprinted joaquim rodríguez @ finishing line. subsequently lose lead rodriguez, won eighth stage atop collada de la gallina in andorra. alberto contador broke away small lead group , looked heading win, rodriguez , valverde passed him less 100 m (330 ft) go, valverde taking win. valverde finished vuelta in second position overall after being constant threat leader, rodriguez until stage 17 contador soloed victory , grabbed lead, not relinquish. valverde snatched both points classification , combination classification jerseys rodriguez result of sixth-place finish on last stage in madrid.

valverde had settle bronze medal in world championships in valkenburg, unable reach philippe gilbert attacked on final climb of cauberg. first of group of 27 riders had 5 seconds deficit on belgian when crossing line. supposed participate in giro di lombardia, announced on morning of race suffering influenza , putting end 2012 season.

2013

valverde, wearing green jersey of points classification leader, @ 2013 vuelta españa

as in 2012, valverde won overall classification of vuelta andalucía in 2013, won points classification in race. valverde continued showing form after finishing podium places in vuelta murcia, amstel gold race , in liège–bastogne–liège. after having decent spring campaign, valverde aimed podium finish in tour de france. valverde started tour in form after finishing third in ax3 domaines behind chris froome , richie porte. next day, porte lost on 15 minutes moved valverde second overall right before tour left pyrenees. on stage 13, valverde lost 10 minutes after getting flat tire. despite hard pursuit, high crosswinds , pace of peloton prevented him , teammates catching back. ended second group @ finish causing him slip out of top ten. despite losing second position, valverde managed in alps moved him top ten of overall standings, finishing 8th overall.

at vuelta españa, after stage 10, valverde sat fourth overall minute behind race leader chris horner. however, on stage 11, moved 3rd after finishing 8th in time trial. on stage 14, on rainy descent, valverde dropped g.c. contenders entering final climb minute back. managed limit losses on final climb staying within minute of rivals, though losing close minute on nibali, horner, , rodriguez. on stage 16, managed cut handful of seconds on nibali , horner. entered penultimate stage 20 minute behind race leader. came third of stage finished atop steep alto de l angliru, securing podium finish in general classification, 1 minute , 36 seconds behind race winner chris horner. @ world championships, took third place, criticized failing cover late attack of portuguese rui costa. costa reached , out sprinted joaquim rodríguez, valverde s fellow spaniard , teammate.

2014

valverde @ 2015 tour de france.

in tour de france, valverde ended in fourth place in general classification. on 2 august 2014 valverde won clásica de san sebastián second time in career. won first uphill finish of vuelta espana powering away leaders after leading group of final climb. finished spanish grand tour on third step of podium behind chris froome , overall winner alberto contador. after vuelta, announced valverde had signed three-year contract team, movistar, meaning ride them until @ least 2017. @ world road race championships in ponferrada, valverde stood on third step on podium third year in row. came in second @ giro di lombardia, passing alberto contador first place in uci world tour rankings.

2015

valverde on podium after winning 2015 liège–bastogne–liège

valverde grabbed 3 stage victories in volta catalunya. on stage 2, got better of bunch sprint , helped score 1-2 movistar teammate josé joaquín rojas. on stage 5, launched late attack part of small group containing leaders coming valls , won solo. on last stage, won sprint of group of 40 riders , bonus seconds, snatched second place of overall classification domenico pozzovivo. @ amstel gold race came in second, being bested in small group sprint michał kwiatkowski. following wednesday, valverde equalled record number of victories on la flèche wallonne 3, distancing julian alaphilippe , michael albasini in final meters of mur de huy.

he went 1 better following sunday, winning sprint of small group of riders impose himself on liège–bastogne–liège. third time in career valverde had won la doyenne. second time had won liège–bastogne–liège , la flèche wallonne in same year, becoming second rider have achieved double twice, after ferdinand kübler. in june, won national road race championship. @ tour de france, valverde finished on podium in 3rd place, first podium finish @ tour; achieving lifelong dream of top 3 finish @ le tour. finish has 1 career goal left, world championship.

2016

valverde @ 2016 tour de france

valverde s main goals 2016 season ardennes classics, giro d italia , road race @ olympic games in rio. started season taking overall @ vuelta andalucía in february. out-powered rest of contenders, including tejay van garderen , rafał majka, on climb finish on final stage. valverde changed initial plan of riding tour of flanders , went tenerife prepare giro. returned competition winning 2 stages , overall @ vuelta castilla y león chose race instead of amstel gold race, race still lacking palmáres. following wednesday took third consecutive la flèche wallonne , became prolific winner of smaller ardennes classic fourth victory. showed climbing prowess controlling until last 150 meters when accelerated away rivals take victory. sunday following, went out repeat ardennes double 2015 securing liège–bastogne–liège win fell short , managed finish 16th.

valverde named in start list giro d italia, first participation in italian race. valverde rode consistent race struggled in high mountains on queen stage in dolomites lost more 3 minutes. fought next day third place in mountain time trial , managed win first ever giro d italia stage day after rest day in andalo, 14th grand tour stage win in total. secured spot on podium outclimbing steven kruijswijk on last mountain stage , finished third overall, becoming 16th cyclist finish on podium in each of 3 grand tours. later year, finishing sixth in tour de france, valverde made 9 consecutive top 10 finishes in last 9 grand tour starts, feat had not happened since days of miguel indurain.

2017

in february 2017 valverde took first win of season @ vuelta murcia, race had won 4 times. followed win in vuelta andalucía fifth time in 6 years, defeating runner-up alberto contador single second , winning stage 1 in process. overall win 100th victory in valverde s career. after not starting paris–nice due illness, valverde went on dominate volta catalunya winning stages three, five, , 7 , beating runner-up alberto contador on minute. done in spite of him , team being given 1 minute penalty pushes in opening team time trial. @ tour of basque country, valverde won stage 5 , went final day s individual time trial race leader, albeit on same time cannondale–drapac s rigoberto urán , michael woods, ag2r la mondiale s romain bardet, , uae team emirates louis meintjes, along having 3 second advantage on contador. in time trial, valverde finished second on day primož roglič of lottonl–jumbo 9 seconds, , beat contador fourteen seconds, extending overall lead, , giving valverde third stage race victory of season.

he punctuated dominance in la flèche wallonne winning race fourth consecutive year , fifth time overall. few days later in liège–bastogne–liège, valverde fended off late attack dan martin , managed outsprint him @ line , take fourth win in event. after taking time off racing train @ 25-day altitude camp @ sierra nevada, valverde raced in critérium du dauphiné, in stage 4 time trial clocked third best time, losing out world time trial champion tony martin (team katusha–alpecin) , bmc racing team s richie porte twelve , twenty-four seconds respectively. managed put time rest of general classification rivals, including contador, bardet, , notably, defending champion chris froome (team sky). on subsequent mountain stages, valverde consistently aggressive, failed pay off , end of dauphiné 4 minutes 8 seconds down on 2017 s jakob fuglsang, in ninth place overall. going tour de france, valverde stated work teammate nairo quintana, still considered outside bet final podium many pundits. on opening individual time trial stage, valverde crashed on tight corner , forced abandon tour immediately; first grand tour withdrawal since 2006. suffered fractured kneecap, ruling him out several months. ultimately, valverde opted end 2017 season because of knee injury hope of making comeback @ start of 2018 season.