The Alejandro Valverde appreciation thread

Taxuser1

Chapeau for everything that he has achieved.

Legs as light as the hair on his head. A master, streets ahead of the less talented youngsters on the scene.

The ultimate winter and spring warrior.

godtabh

A lot of twitter wouldn't agree with you today.

At 37 years of age he is battering people even more so than when he was busted.

Decuc500

Is this a joke? The guy was banned for 2 years for doping offences. He's a cheat. I can't stand the guy and was hoping after his injury last year we had seen the last of him.

Unfortunately he's back and looking better than ever. At almost 38.

Glass Prison 1214

The sport will be a better place when he's gone. A convicted doper, and utterly unashamed about it.

No appreciation from me.

SwissToni

I won’t be posting in this thread......oh wait......

velo.2010

Just finished watching the highlights. He was pissing with Bernal there at the finish.

If he had no 'past' as such, then all things being equal, he would be considered one of the greatest cyclists of all time given the length and success of his career.

I don't know his race plans but if he turned up at Flanders, he would have a chance.

letape

I’ll be happier when he is gone too. Don’t trust any of his “performances”.

Taxuser1

If this were the Sean Kelly appreciation thread we would be treated to heroic accounts of the man from Carrick slaying the Belgian beast Vandaeraerden in the Tour or his chase down of Argentin. You can appreciate a riders voracious appetite to win and there is nothing to suggest that Kelly's, Boonen's Merckx' or any of the greats records were anything but tainted by their dubious means in attaining the wins. Who among them hasn't failed a drugs test. Their records are celebrated and perhaps Valverde should be seen in the same light. Suspend the notion that it's by cheating alone, takes more than dope to win multiple races.

Quigs Snr

I think he's an inspiration for the younger riders. Proof positive (pun intended) that drugs only slow you down and you can actually go faster and be more successful without them.

Panache or not, he never really did it for me. And its not a convicted doper thing.. I understand that pretty much across all sports, if you are on my TV - and perhaps even all the way down to my Stickybottle feed - there is a pretty good chance you are doing something other than clean living and hard training to be there.. but I enjoy watching it all the same.. just like I watched WWE/WWF when I was young.... its just him, the charisma isn't there perhaps. Something is missing for me. I even warmed to Contador in his later years for at least trying to give Froome a go etc...

Raymzor

I’m not a fan of Valverde. Final straw came last year at the finish of Liege-B-L when he breezed past the leader Dan Martin on the steep up hill finish. Valverde crossed the line looking like he had lots more left in the tank while Martin was on his knees........

Lumen

He's fast and sexy and a very bad boy. What's not to like?

1bryan

Wins by Valverde or Nibali just leave me cold.

But yeah, fair play Valverde. Great cyclist and grand national winning horse.

Chips Lovell

Proper bike racer, with a real eye for the win. Can climb, sprint, you name it. Always looks so good on a bike too.

irishrover99

Really like Valverde. Brilliant rider even if he has a dodgy past.
Those thinking the that the other riders around him are clean have their head in the sand.
And the guy in second Bernal, a Columbian riding for team Sky. Oh i'm sure he's clean.

Raam

I prefer him since he started wearing longer socks.

NO!


YES!

Chips Lovell

Always wears a watch too.

magicbastarder

is that a good thing or bad thing? i never wear a watch, but then i'm not cool anyway.

Chips Lovell

It depends on the watch

Lumen

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

It depends on the watch

And the arm. Valverde's forearms, swoon!

Grassey

Lumen wrote:

He's fast and sexy and a very bad boy. What's not to like?

If this was the Sagan thread an assertion like that would be backed up with pictures.

Raam

I'm trying to find that image with all his Fleche Wallone celebrations stitched together. Essentially, the same picture repeated 5 times.

Raam

Raam

check_six

^^^^ New Canyon Hover-Bike??

dermabrasion

I dont believe any of it. Again this year he'll throw his arms up in the air with the likes of Dan or Alaphilippe coughing their lungs out over the bars in the background on the Muur de Huy. Its just not normal, not believable and everybody knows it.
I am also not looking for the day that the mainstream sports press salivate when he's found out for the DOPING SHOCKER headline.

irishrover99

dermabrasion wrote: »

I dont believe any of it. Again this year he'll throw his arms up in the air with the likes of Dan or Alaphilippe coughing their lungs out over the bars in the background on the Muur de Huy.

Are you saying Dan and Alaphilippe have asthma?
Perhaps they should talk to Froome.

marvin80

irishrover99 wrote: »

Those thinking the that the other riders around him are clean have their head in the sand.

So we should just assume everyone is doping - they might as well come clean (pun intended) and let everyone at it. Every rider drugged up to the eyeballs and see who can push themselves the hardest!!

irishrover99

marvin80 wrote: »

So we should just assume everyone is doping - they might as well come clean (pun intended) and let everyone at it. Every rider drugged up to the eyeballs and see who can push themselves the hardest!!

Perhaps not every rider is doping, but those who are competing for victories or winning.
Otherwise we would have too believe that what the doped riders are taking isn't very good if clean riders can still beat them.

Chips Lovell

Dwars Door Vlaanderen yesterday. Flanders + freezing cold + torrential rain + cobbles + concrete roads.

Valverdre's riding it to prepare for the cobbled stage of the Tour. On a day like yesterday, you'd expect him to sit in and get home safe.

What does he do? He rips the arse out of the race.

What ever your opinion on him it sure was fun to watch yesterday.

lissard

On his current form he should be aiming to win the rest of the monuments, the 3 grand tours and the world championship ;-). Pretty unbelievable for a guy who is 38 next month, I guess all that hard training with Dr Fuentes in his 20s payed off.

Chips Lovell

I'd say he'll give Flanders a good rattle if he starts (and he's threatening to).

But winning all five monuments or any more Grand Tours is completely unrealistic. He was never really a Grand Tour rider. Great one day or one week racer, but doesn't have the consistency for a three week race.

We was down to start in Spain with Quintana on Saturday though seeing as he's in Flanders they may opt to keep him there.