Alejandro Valverde: “When corridors come to the Spanish team, runners will have to leave egos on the sideways and teams”

A few days have passed since his election as the new national coach of Elite Road. From the perspective that gives distance, how have you seen your designation?

It was a great joy. Being a coach is something that makes me happy, even after becoming World Champion (2018). It was as if the illusion had come back to me.

While one is professional, do you think it’s a coach?

While I was competing in the truth, no, but before retiring to José Vicioso (elected new President of the RFEC in November 2024) he told me that if he became president he would like to rely on me as a coach. I knew the choice was there, so I took the director’s title and started working.

How did he live all the mess in the óscar freire, he seemed to be the new coach and then found out you were going to be?

In fact, when everything happens, I didn’t know that Oscar had an illusion of becoming a coach and didn’t know if they had spoken. I know what I talked to Joseph was. The óscar sent me a message explaining what happened and I replied that I didn’t know what he was talking about. Among us everything was clear, and there were no problems.

But because his name began to sound as a coach until he announced for a long time.

In the end, everyone should decompose and have a clear one, seeing what my Movistar position will be and eventually become an ambassador. There is no haste and we have to wait the right time.

And the day of the presentation came. I don’t know if the speech is ready.

No, I didn’t prepare it (smile). I’m more improvised, to talk to the heart, when telling the truth and you say how you feel you will never go wrong.

What kind of coach is this?

Ultimately, it is not the same to be a runner as a coach, and as a coach you will be a director on the road several times, in the World Cup and the European. I see myself as a coach who will like what I say is over, but I also like to listen to the corridor, just as I want to listen to me when I run.

He was in 14 World Cups and had a lot of selections, what do I remember with each other?

In each of my things I learned things, along with the Paco Antequera … In general, everything was the same, and everyone heard the corridor. They have not been selected to say that you need to do things yes or yes. I liked something, that they were empathy, putting them on the skin of the cyclist.

Are you ready for criticism for your coach’s work and being an ambassador to the Movistar team?

Yes, it is aware that before and now. It always happens. It is like the Félix García Casas (new technical director of RFF), with two children running, so he can’t choose it. I’ll take the Movistar runners if they deserve it, if they don’t deserve it, no. If the case is and I have to take three or four from the Movistar team I’ll take them, as if I’ll just take it. Obviously the Movistar team is the only tourist team in the Spanish world.

These controversies will end with having another world tour team in Spain.

(I -Pause) Yes, but that doesn’t mean that with other teams other than Movistar there is no wonderful runner, such as Ayuso, Landa or Pello.

Who will be part of your team?

In the theme of The Auxiliaries, my trusted person is always Escámez, who is also my masseuse. Together with him and some more we will make a working group of helpers and mechanics, I want to be with them and work. If Ayuso arrives, I think he wants to bring his masseuse or mechanical trust. You need to be flexible and understand the corridor.

How does the agenda have?

I’m starting to go to the career and now I should be attentive to how the runners do. The good thing about being a coach is that you see everything on television. Then we need to be there. I have already ordered the phones and emails to contact the runners that create it comfortably.

Your team of base runners, how many units will it have?

More than 10, about 15. You have to think that this year the World Cup is in Rwanda and then you have to travel directly to France for European, and the same group is in the same career is very difficult because these races are at the end of time and the runners are tired. I understand if anyone doesn’t want to come. The two groups need to be done, some will be repeated, but European is also difficult.

What do cyclists ask?

You need to know that each one is from a team, there may be two or three in the same team on the national team, but during the time they are usually rivals, but when they come to the choice you need to be honest and if you stay with something that goes to one, work as a team and have a union. This is how strength is made, which each one accepts their role. That runners left the egos on the sides, you had to try to run as a team, as it would get more. And in the World Cups there are no Pinganillos. There should be a boss of rows and runners who know how to read the career properly.

Is it optimistic about cyclists we and the World Cup tour?

You need to be and I think we can have options. We have runners that can have them. We know that Pogacar is, evenePoel, Go Aert … but we also have a very good runner. You need to compete against them knowing that we can defeat them, with desire and enthusiasm, because the body is human and the rival will always fail. It is very important to go for everyone.

In the selection process there may be controversies for the standards selected, are priorities clear?

Of course. You have to be clear and if anyone hasn’t come to tell you why. I know that on some occasions the corridor has learned that he is not one of the selected when he thinks of the press and it cannot. If they are 15, it is necessary to clearly and explain.

After the selector stage, did you look as a team director in the Movistar team’s car?

Now I see myself in the desire, trained and excited to face the challenge of being a coach. Now I don’t see myself as a team director, but in four years many things can happen. Being a coach is an opportunity they have offered me and it is so beautiful.

And I see that a serious test or mountain bike will continue to run with the Movistar jersey.

As I did last year, about five or six trials, in one year they were absent.

From the couch, how are you watching this season?

I can see that there is a lot of equality between those in front of them, though there is one standing above the others, Pogacar. I would say that the vingegaard is 100%, but no, the poor are having a bad fortune in the fall and the bad weather where he runs. I do not see that it enjoys the bike. Wanting to speed up her excessive recovery last year is to raise it, she’s so fast that I don’t know it’s good for her body and now she’s tired