Alexander Valverde (Las Lumbreras de Monteagudo, Murcia, 42 years old) will compete in Il Lombardía this Saturday his last race with a professional bib. After 2 decades of victories, including the Tour of Spain, 1 World Cup, 4 Lièges, 5 Flechas Walloons and a total of 133 wins, he will face the “Classic of dead leaves” as he expected to do: “In top form and with favorite options“.
One of the features that makes the “Bala” a unique cyclist is their ability to perform at the highest level throughout the season, from January to October. At 42 years old, recent results support him to reach his final season as the 2018 World Champion dreamed of.
In the Italian classics of the autumn he signed a second place in the Agostoni Cupthird in the Giro de Emilia, where his teammate Enric Mas won, and fourth in Tres Valles Varesinos.
“I leave cycling at the perfect point, at my highest level, which is the current one. More level than I have now I have on several occasions. I retired at the best time”, pointed out Alejandro Valverde this week, who dreams of many arguments with departure from the top of the podium.
In a moment of inevitable relief, Valverde does not consider that the best Spanish rider in history will retirebut “a cyclist who gave everything to please the public, for his team and for himself”.
A relay that seems difficult, because Valverde’s record is within the reach of few runners in cycling history, but one from Las Lumbreras points to those who could take over in the immediate future.
“I think there are Spanish cyclists who will make the fans happy. Juan Ayuso and Carlos Rodríguez were excellent and they already showed it in the Vuelta, but we also have Enric Mas, who showed that he is at the same level or even higher than them. We have a great level of Spanish cycling”, said Valverde.
The end of a long journey in professional cycling is near. Valverde can share his tears of emotion with two other prominent veterans that they will hang the bicycle behind Il Lombardía. Nothing less than the “Messina Shark” Vincenzo Nibali and Mikel Nievewho said goodbye to the Caja Rural jersey.
The 37-year-old Italian Nibali is one of only 7 runners in history to have scored three major stages, Tour, Giro and Vuelta.
Valverde will stop wearing bibs in official competitions, but by no means will he separate himself too much from the bike. He will continue to be a cyclist because he was born a cyclist. The bike is his life, his passion, his hobbies, his way of relating to that group of Murcian friends with whom he forms a “group”.
“After Lombardy I want to rest, then I will do some outings with friends, some standards and then I will try to enjoy cycling in a different way, with family, friends and colleagues. I stayed at Movistar, I still have two years left on my contract, but in other roles.”
Whatever happens in Il Lombardía, Valverde will get off the bike this Saturday at the finish line in Como with a good feeling. His last races showed that he still had 42 “studs” among the greats. By the age of 9 he was already winning races and more than 30 years later he is still competing. That’s why he’s also a unique cyclist.
“My feeling after the last few races was unbelievable, and in retrospect I won almost every race.“, assured Valverde, highlighting the third place in the Tour, “as if he had won”, and of course, the World Cup, where he dreamed of winning it once. Soon to leave Il Lombardía, “El Bala” keep dreaming. Until the last meter. Words of Valverde
Source: La Verdad
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