Alejandro Valverde
Vuelta a España 2009 overall victory four stage wins Tour de France eight stage wins Vuelta a España
2nd place road race 2003 2nd place road race 2005 3rd road race 2006 3rd road race 2012 3rd road race 2013
Spanish Champion - Road Race 2008
Liege -Bastogne- Liege in 2006 and 2008 Flèche Wallonne 2006 Clasica San Sebastián 2008
1st place individual ranking 2006 1st place team and individual Standings 2008
Appreciation Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 2008 and 2009
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte ( born April 25, 1980 in Las Lumbreras, Murcia ) is a Spanish cyclist.
Up to his suspension for doping on 31 May 2010 Valverde was an all-rounder and on almost any terrain as an early contender. Valverde has (as of July 2009) 53 professional victories to his credit (37 stage wins, Tour 8 total wins, 8 day race ). He is also the winner of the ProTour Ranking in 2006 and 2008, Spanish 2008 champion, two-time World Cup champions and three-time World Cup medalist. To this end, he won 12 classification jerseys (eg mountain classification, sprint, combined score, etc.) and was another 52 times on the podium in professional cycling race.
Career
Beginning
His professional career began in 2002 for the Spanish GSI team Kelme -Costa Blanca, which has long been considered a hotbed of talent. There he could retract immediately good rankings.
2003 could reach two stage wins and third place overall in the Vuelta a España, the then 23 -year-old Valverde. The road Cycling Championships in Hamilton, he placed himself behind another Spaniard Igor Astarloa, in second place.
In 2004, he won several smaller Spanish stage race, the Vuelta a Murcia, the Valencia tour and the Tour of Burgos, including its three stages. In addition, Valverde reached after a fall to fourth overall in the Tour of Spain ( Vuelta ) and there celebrated his 15th victory of the season.
Change to Illes Baleares - and his first Tour de France
Due to ongoing financial problems and doping revelations in Kelme, which meant that they got a license for the UCI ProTour, Valverde joined the Spanish team Illes Balears.
If you could ever speak to this point in his career at Valverde from a weakness, then it was the time trial. In mountain time trial Valverde was but one of the strongest in professional cycling, which he impressively presented during the 2004 Vuelta with his 2nd place and 40 seconds before the later overall winner Roberto Heras proof.
In the 2005 Tour de France due to Valverde had serious knee injuries, the race prematurely end a promising fifth -placed end of the second week. In the mountain-top finish in Courchevel ( 10.Etappe ) he was able to keep the only one that attacks from Lance Armstrong, it even übersprintete down the stretch and won his first Tour de France stage victory. Despite ongoing knee problems to Valverde prepared on the Road World Championships in Spain. There he was beaten only by the Belgian Tom Boonen in the sprint of a breakaway group. He drove a his second silver medal of a world championship.
Appreciation victory in the Pro- Tour 2006
In early 2006, took over the French savings bank, the main sponsor of Valverde's team and the Balearic Islands were just on as co-sponsor. The team of Alejandro Valverde went under the name Caisse d' Epargne - Illes Balears. Valverde followed up on this season of past successes. So he was able to bring a stage of the Vuelta de Murcia and win the 2.Gesamtrang as well as a stage and points jersey for the most consistent riders in the Pro Tour belonging to Basque Country tour. In April, the all-rounder celebrated his greatest successes so far. He won Flèche Wallonne classic superior to the half on the final climb, the " Wall of Huy ", with gradients of up to 19%. Then he won the sprint from a 10 - man lead group out at the classic Monument Liege -Bastogne- Liege. With these victories, he also sat on the top of the Pro Tour standings.
His leadership he built with a stage win and third place overall in the Tour de Romandie. In the Dauphiné Libéré, the acid test for the tour, he showed a strong performance in the time trial and also impressed at the king's stage over the Col du Galibier with its climbing abilities. The 7th place overall Valverde was able to extend his lead in the Pro Tour standings Ivan Basso on.
In the 2006 Tour de France he crashed during the 3rd stage of Esch- sur- Alzette to Valkenburg ( NL), 20 km before the finish line, he broke his collarbone and had to abandon the race prematurely. In his first race after his surgery, he finished equal eighth place. When heavy ProTour one-day race Clasica San Sebastián he showed himself strong in the mountains and could even ride in the final sprint forward.
In the Vuelta in September Valverde won the seventh stage ( Berg arrival) after he committed around 300 m before the stage finish the sure winner Alexandre Vinokourov actually already ( Astana ) and übersprintete. In the ninth stage, which had been regarded as the king stage of the Vuelta in 2006, he came in second and conquered by the golden jersey of the leader.
On the 17th stage but Valverde revealed weaknesses. In the last climb of the day he could not follow ( both Astana ) the Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin. On the descent to the destination to Granada Valverde closed but back up at them. After another attack by Vinokourov Valverde lost a second time the connection and at the end of nine seconds behind the golden jersey on stage winner " Wino ". The 18th stage was the final low point for Valverde, as he had once again oppose not much against the " Kazakh superiority " of the Astana team. In the final ascent to the Sierra de la Pandera Vinokourov and Kashechkin duped the sagging Valverde.
The decision brought the individual time trial on the penultimate stage of Rivas Futura to Rivas -Vaciamadrid (27,5 km). As expected Winokourov won the time trial and referred Valverde 1:12 minutes behind in second place overall. Valverde was pleased with second place at the Vuelta in 2006 after the third place in 2003 and fourth place in 2004 now. He also extended his lead in the UCI ProTour 2006 on.
The road Cycling Championships 2006 in Salzburg ( Austria ) to Valverde was able to sell 500 meters from the finish, along with his compatriot Samuel Sanchez, Erik Zabel and Paolo Bettini from the field. In the final sprint Valverde finished third and thus his third medal at the cycling World Cup in 2003 and 2005 already.
At the end of the 2006 season, Valverde was clear as the winner of the Pro Tour 2006.
2007
In the 2007 season, the Government of the Balearic Islands retired from many years of sponsorship. The sole main sponsor was now the French savings bank Caisse d' Epargne. According to unofficial reports Valverde was highest paid professional cyclist in the world ( three million euros ). Valverde showed tremendous early form and won two tours in Spain within three weeks (Valencia and Murcia- round trip). Its shape, he confirmed by a third in the Criterium International and with a fifth place in the Basque Country Tour. In the three Ardennes classics he achieved very good results, but could not quite repeat his previous successes. ( 6 Amstel, Flèche 2; Liege 2 ) Its another season planning was entirely focused on the Tour de France. In the Spanish championships he left his teammates and precious helper Joaquin Rodriguez the victory and finished second.
At the Tour de France, Valverde could not quite convince. While he was in the first half of the strongest followers of Rasmussen, but had during the third week reveal weaknesses in the time trials and the mountains. At the end of Valverde was sixth overall. The reasons for his weaker last week may have been in the preparation interrupted by stomach problems.
The season ended with a disappointing performance for Valverde at the World Championships.
2008
His season he started his home race, the Vuelta a Murcia. There he won the individual time trial over 23.1 kilometers and thus laid the foundation for the overall victory, he could now win for the third time after 2004 and 2007. Valverde won in the spring, the French -day race Paris - Camembert in a mass sprint. The first large Ardennes classics of the season, the Amstel Gold Race, he finished wrestled three, he was beaten only a few seconds of Cunego and Schleck. Alejandro Valverde rode a the first major success of the 2008 season at Liège -Bastogne -Liège, which he won for the second time after 2006. The Spaniard won the sprint from a group of three before Rebellin and Schleck.
When Criterium du Dauphine Libere he finished third in the prologue, at the first stage he won the sprint ahead of Thor Hushovd and won the time trial of the third stage. With this victory in the fight against the clock, he proved all the critics that he has been working on his biggest weakness. This overall lead he defended in the mountains and took the overall victory. On June 29, Valverde won the first time in his career, the Spanish Championship and thus wore the jersey of the national champion in the Tour de France. He was considered the top favorite for the overall win.
At the Tour de France he won the first stage and was at the same time the yellow jersey. Finally finished the most important cycling race in the world Valverde on a disappointing ninth place overall, as he forfeited every day more and more time in the battle for the overall win after a fall.
In the Clasica San Sebastian Valverde won the sprint ahead of Alexander Kolobnew and Davide Rebellin, making him the new leader of the UCI ProTour standings.
Another victory achieved Valverde at the Vuelta a España he won stage 2 and pulled the meantime the golden leader's jersey. The entire tour he finished in 5th position. The season ended with the World Championships in Varese, in which he finished as one of the favorites to win, the 37th place. At the Olympic road race of Beijing 2008 Valverde finished the victory of his Spanish team-mate Samuel Sanchez finished 13th After 2006 the man from Murcia for the second time the UCI ProTour won. However, this success was not as valuable as the victory of 2006 as the Grand Tours (Tour, Giro and Vuelta ) no longer belonged to the race series.
2009
Valverde started with stage wins at the Vuelta a Castilla y León in the 2009 season. During the Vuelta a España he could retract his first overall victory at one of the big tours.
Doping
After Valverde's former team Kelme / Comunidad Valenciana and other former team riders like Oscar Sevilla, Santiago Botero and José Enrique Gutierrez already been suspected to have operated blood doping under the direction of Eufemiano Fuentes, was the day of the final time trial of the Vuelta announced on 16 September 2006 that Alejandro Valverde is to stand on the doping list of Fuentes. In a document that was seized during the house searches carried out in May in the doping scandal Fuentes, is the abbreviation " Valv. ( Piti ) ", it being " Piti " Valverde's dog 's name is. The document is a table of contents for a refrigerator, were kept in the stored blood. Valverde's blood should have been stored in a compartment with Roberto Heras and Marcos Serrano.
The allegations in the Süddeutsche Zeitung on 19 June 2006 were denied by the Spanish cycling federation, but in May 2007 appeared more accurate data and documents. Furthermore served blood samples were taken from him after the goal to mark the passage Italienabstechers the 15th stage on July 20, 2008 during the Tour de France and compared with the Fuente material as evidence. On 11 May 2009 Valverde was banned by the National Olympic Committee of Italy for two years. This punishment was for all races on Italian soil. Thus he was not allowed to ride the Tour de France 2009, as these led back on Italian roads.
Valverde's lawyers appealed against the judgment unsuccessful appeal before the International Court of Sport (CAS ), so that he was suspended until 10 May 2011 for all Italian races. On 31 May 2010, the CAS issued a two -year ban against Valverde. He was banned worldwide because of its involvement in the blood doping scandal at the Madrid gynecologist Eufemiano Fuentes until 31 December 2011.
Strengths and weaknesses
Valverde is one of the world's best climbers, hunters and classic round riders. His chances to be successful in a large tour, he improved by his progress in the fight against the clock.
Achievements
- A stage Basque Country Tour
- Klasika Primavera
- A stage Tour of Aragon
- Two stages Troféu Joaquim Agostinho
- Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia
- Two stages and combined score Vuelta a España
- World Championships - Road Race
- Trofeo Manacor
- Two stages and Appreciation Valencia Tour
- Appreciation Vuelta a Murcia
- A stage Basque Country Tour
- Klasika Primavera
- Three stages Vuelta a Castilla y León
- Three stages, overall, point- and mountain classification Burgos Tour
- A stage in the Vuelta a España
- Trofeo Manacor
- A stage and youth classification Paris-Nice
- Two stages Basque Country Tour
- A stage of the Tour de France
- World Championships - Road Race
- A stage of Vuelta a Murcia
- A stage and scoring Basque Country Tour
- Flèche Wallonne
- Liege -Bastogne- Liege
- A stage and scoring Tour de Romandie
- A stage in the Vuelta a España
- World Championships - Road Race
- Individual ranking UCI ProTour
- Total and combined score Valencia Tour
- A stage and Appreciation Vuelta a Murcia
- A stage Clasica Alcobendas
- Combination results Critérium International
- A stage Burgos Tour
- A stage and Appreciation Vuelta a Murcia
- Paris - Camembert
- Liege -Bastogne- Liege
- Two stages and Appreciation Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- Spanish Champion - Road Race
- Two stages of the Tour de France
- Clasica San Sebastian
- A stage in the Vuelta a España
- Individual ranking UCI ProTour
- Two stages, dot, mountain and combined score Vuelta a Castilla y León
- Klasika Primavera
- A stage and Appreciation Tour of Catalonia
- Appreciation Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- Appreciation Burgos Tour
- Appreciation and combined score Vuelta a España
- A stage of Tour Down Under
- A stage and Appreciation Ruta del Sol
- A stage of Paris-Nice
- A stage of the Tour de France
- Scoring, combined score, two stages and team time trial Vuelta a España
- World Championships - Road Race
- Trofeo Deia
- Two stages and Appreciation Vuelta a Andalucía
- Vuelta a España 2013 3rd place and scoring
- World Championships - Road Race
- Prologue, two stages and Appreciation Vuelta a Andalucía
- Vuelta a Murcia
- Roma maxima
- Gran Premio Miguel Indurain