The ten most extraordinary victories from the legendary career of Alejandro Valverde

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The Murcian, with 133 accumulated victories, was able to beat the best in the mythical peaks of the Grand Tours and in the most prestigious classics

There are 133 wins and each of them is priceless. No one has won as much as he has and that makes Alejandro Valverde (Las Lumbreras, Murcia, aged 42) the greatest Murcian athlete in history, one of the most important nationals and one of the greatest cyclists of all time. Making a selection is difficult, but these are perhaps the ten most special triumphs in the legendary career of ‘Bala’, who today says goodbye to professional cycling for good.

A very young Alejandro Valverde, dressed in the livery of Vicente Belda’s Kelme, already showed signs of his prowess in his second season as a pro. Third in the Vuelta and second in the Hamilton World Championship, 2003 was the year of his introduction to the elite. He took his first victory in the Tour of the Basque Country, in the third stage between Plentzia and Vitoria. He used his cunning and top speed in the sprint to beat high-level cyclists such as Rebellin, Wegmann, Di Luca or Astarloza.

Two years later came another example of the power of ‘Bala’. Already in the Balearic Islands, the same structure as Movistar, he made his debut in the Tour de France. He had to do something big and went for a podium. He won one, but not just any one and no way. Lance Armstrong left all his rivals behind except Rasmussen, Mancebo and Valverde on the climb to Courchevel. Lacking 350 meters, the Murcian launched his bike and only the American could follow him. But don’t get over it.

The Murcian appeared at the last minute when it looked like Kazakh Vinokourov would take the podium, beating all his rivals with a crushing sprint. It was on top of El Morredero (León). Valverde defeated Carlos Sastre and Janez Brajkovic and became the revelation of the race at the age of 22, donning the leader’s jersey for the first time at the Vuelta a España, a round he won in 2009.

Valverde dressed in yellow for the first time in the Tour after winning a memorable stage in Plumelec that saw a huge battle between the best of that French round. Kim Kirchen saw the goal, the end of the climb to Cadoudal, getting closer and closer. But he couldn’t hear the kicking of Alejandro Valverde, who appeared out of nowhere to overtake the Luxembourger with 250 meters to go. He also overcame Freire, Evans and Frank Schleck.

A doping sanction had kept him out of the competition for 20 long months. And he appeared again and wanted to prove himself in the Australian Tour Down Under. He grabbed Michael Rogers’ wheel as he launched the first charge. Then Simon Gerrans came and neutralized him. The Murcian and the Australian would play for the win. Calculator and cold, the ‘Bala’ was waiting for the moment to turn on the gas. And won. And he cried like a little boy. Valverde was back.

It wasn’t his Tour, in a year when he wasn’t fighting for the General. I was looking for a podium and the opportunity came on the 17th day. In Port de Bals he made room with Rui Costa and Rubén Plaza and was alone for the final climb to Peyragudes. There he ran into himself, with the illusion as the engine. He was chased by the Tour’s top two finishers, Wiggins and Froome, both from Sky. But the Murcian held on and won again in the French round.

In 2006 and 2008 he won his first two monuments, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He was devoted to cinema, although he did not pay much attention to this classic. Neither. He started it in 2015. He was the big favorite in Liège and did not disappoint. In the last corner, with the entire leading group compact, he came out on top. He started and nothing could stop him, neither the ambition of the then young Julian Alaphilippe, nor the experience of his friend Purito Rodríguez.

After two silver and four bronze medals, Alejandro Valverde finally won the gold medal at the World Cycling Championships. He resisted it and it looked like he would never get it, but the prize came to him at the age of 38. He beat Woods and Bardet in the final sprint after a great job from the Spanish team and again the Murcian cried like a child. “There was a lot of fighting for many years and it finally worked out,” he said.

It was his best rainbow jersey win. In Mas de la Costa, a small Angliru in the province of Castellón with impossible slopes, one of the most spectacular arrivals of recent years in the Vuelta took place in 2019. And there Valverde won against a surprised Roglic, Miguel Ángel López and Nairo Quintana. He took command of the situation with 500 meters to go and no one could dispute his victory.

Source: La Verdad

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