As the final countdown to the Giro d’Italia begins, both Alejandro Valverde and the Movistar team management believe that the 36-year-old is more than ready for the challenges of his first ever corsa rosa.
Of all the Giro d’Italia general classification contenders, Valverde, recently turned 36, has had the most successful spring, starting out with a fourth triumph in the Vuelta a Andalucia back in February. Other highlights included a record-breaking fourth win at Flèche Wallonne and a first ever overall victory in the Vuelta a Castilla y Léon.
The main focus, though, has always been Valverde’s participation in the Giro d’Italia, to the point where he has bypassed races that usually feature on his program, like the Volta a Catalunya and Amstel Gold Race. Instead, he opted for a three-week training camp in Tenerife taking in regular sessions of long, steady climbing to try to ensure he will not be out of the running when the Giro hits the Dolomites.
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Movistar’s confidence in Valverde’s chances is such that, as sports director Jose Luis Jaimerena told Cyclingnews, they will not be starting the race with a plan ‘B’, despite team-mate Andrey Amador’s fourth place overall in the Giro last year. Instead, for now, even if Amador will have his own chance to shine, Movistar’s game plan for the Giro starts and finishes with Valverde.
“At the moment, the clear thing is that Alejandro is our top man then we’ll see how that goes,” Jaimerena said. “Andrey has, obviously, shown he’s somebody we have to keep in mind, too.
“The same kind of approach applies to [Carlos Alberto] Betancur [fifth in the 2013 Giro d’Italia and a new signing with Movistar this year – ed.] He’s getting better and better as we could see in Asturias, but he’s not yet in the same kind of condition that he was as back in 2013.”
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