Alejandro Valverde

Personal information
Full name	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte
Nickname	The Green Bullet
Date of birth	April 25, 1980 (1980-04-25) (age 27)
Country	Spain
Height	1.78 m
Weight	61 kg
Team information
Current team	Caisse d'Epargne
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional team(s)
2002-2004 2005-	Comunitat Valenciana/Kelme Caisse d'Epargne
Major wins
UCI ProTour (2006) Tour de France, 1 stage Vuelta a España (3 stages) La Flèche Wallonne (2006) Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2006)
Infobox last updated on:
March 2, 2007

Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born April 25, 1980 in Las Lumbreras, Murcia) is a Spanish cyclist. At age 27, he is thought to be one of the most talented cyclists of his generation. Valverde is an exciting prospect since he is unusual in the way in which he combines all the areas of cycling: Valverde is an excellent climber and more than respectable time trial rider, thus making him a threat for the general classification for the Grand Tours (Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España). But Valverde has shown that he can ride the big single day events just as well, due to his good sprinting and strong overall riding, making him a candidate for becoming World Champion and winner of various classic races. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (116th in leap years). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (116th in leap years). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... For the Roman goddess, see Venus. ... Marco Pantani, one of the greatest climbers of the modern era. ... In many racing sports an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. ... The General Classification (or GC) in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races. ... In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Tour de France - Tour of France Giro dItalia - Tour of Italy Vuelta a España - Tour of Spain Collectively they are termed the Grand Tours, and all three are similar... The Giro dItalia, also simply known as the Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May or early June in and around Italy. ... The Tour de France is the worlds best-known cycling race, a three-week-long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France and the Giro dItalia, is the third most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... The following terminology is used in the general sport of cycling, as well as the more specific road bicycle racing and mountain bicycle racing. ... Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi beating Óscar Freire at a stage of the 2005 Tirreno-Adriatico. ... A World Championship is any contest to determine the best in the world in a particular field. ... In British horse racing, the Classics are a series of horse races run over the flat (i. ...

Valverde has been said to be a bit unlucky, as he had to drop out of the Tour de France twice while riding for a good position in the overall ranking. The Tour de France is the worlds best-known cycling race, a three-week-long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ...

His first name is sometimes spelt Alexandro or Alessandro in English language reports. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Biography

Valverde came from a cycling family: his father Valverde senior was an amateur bicycle racer when he was younger and turned his sons on to the sport. Alejandro's first race was in Jumilla in his region of Murcia and he finished second. That was the only race which he did not win for the rest of his competition while attending school. Jumilla is a wine-producing region in southern Spain. ... For the Roman goddess, see Venus. ...

Amateur career

Due to his winning ways, Valverde was offered to ride for the elite amateur team Banesto based in Navarra some distance away from his home. Perhaps due to the exhaustion from having to travel back and forth every weekend, his performance suffered while with the team. Banesto is a Spanish bank that was acquired by Grupo Santander and became part of the group. ... Navarra is the Spanish name for Navarre (Basque: Nafarroa), an ancient kingdom in the Pyrenees, and now a province and an autonomous community in Spain. ...

He moved to the development team of the Kelme professional squad and was coached by Francisco Moya, whom he credited with helping him become a better cyclist. Kelme also promised to allow him to move to the professional squad if he showed good performance. At the end of his first season with the Kelme amateur squad, they offered to move him to the professional squad. Comunitat Valenciana (UCI Team Code: ECV) is a professional continental cycling team based in Spain and participates in UCI Europe Tour and when selected as a wildcard to UCI ProTour events. ...

Professional career

Valverde turned professional in 2000 when he signed a contract with the Spanish team Kelme. He stayed with them until the end of the 2004 season. Since Kelme did not get a UCI ProTour license he joined Illes Balears in 2005. 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Comunitat Valenciana (UCI Team Code: ECV) is a professional continental cycling team based in Spain and participates in UCI Europe Tour and when selected as a wildcard to UCI ProTour events. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The UCI ProTour logo The UCI ProTour is a competition under the International Cycling Union (UCI). ... Illes Balears is professional road bicylce racing team, participating in the UCI ProTour. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During his time with Kelme he had a breakthrough year in 2003 Vuelta a España where he won two stages and finished third in the General classification. He had also won the Majorca Challenge that year, and ended the season with a second place in the World Cycling Championship. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France and the Giro dItalia, is the third most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... The General Classification (or GC) in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races. ... The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). ...

In the 2004 season he decided to stay with Kelme despite the team's financial woes and offers from other teams. He was injured in a crash in the Vuelta a España and had to downscale his ambitions in the race. He finally signed a contract with the Illes Balears team at the end of 2004. shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2005 Valverde won the 10th stage of the Tour de France ahead of Lance Armstrong, whom he beat in the sprint into Courchevel in the Alps (2000m - 1st Category). After Stage 12, he was in 5th place on GC, 3 minutes and 16 seconds behind Lance Armstrong. He was also leading in the Young Rider Classification (white jersey), with a 3 minute and 9 second lead on Armstrong teammate Yaroslav Popovych. However, Valverde was forced to withdraw from the Tour during the 13th stage because of a knee injury. Valverde recovered barely in time for the UCI World Cycling Championship in Madrid, Spain. The injury of Óscar Freire, who was the Spanish team captain, forced him to become the team leader, despite his lack of preparation. In the end he was able to be competitive and finished second to winner Tom Boonen. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 92nd Tour de France was held from July 2 to July 24, 2005. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The General Classification (or GC) in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races. ... Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. ... The Maillot blanc (French for white jersey) is the jersey given to the best young rider in the Tour de France as determined by the best overall time. ... Yaroslav Popovych is a cyclist with the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, and considered by many as a possible successor to Lance Armstrong as team leader. ... Entrance of UCI headquarter at Aigle (Switzerland) Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is a professional cycling union that oversees cycling events in the international community. ... The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... Óscar Freire Gómez (born February 15, 1976 in Torrelavega, Cantabria) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour team Rabobank. ... Tom Boonen (born on October 15, 1980 in Mol, Belgium) is one of the worlds best professional road bicycle racers and is the 2005 World Road Race Champion. ...

In 2006, Valverde won a stage in the Vuelta al País Vasco, finishing 2nd overall and capturing the points competition. He then completed a prestigious double in the Spring classics, winning La Flèche Wallonne and taking victory four days later at Liége-Bastogne-Liége. Valverde subsequently won a stage in the Tour de Romandie finishing 3rd overall. Valverde planned to challenge at the 2006 Tour de France, and has stated that he hopes to win in the future. He went to the Pinarello bicycle factory in Treviso, Italy, to optimize his time-trialing performance. In fact he started among the favourites for the Tour after the withdrawal of Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso due to a doping investigation. However, on the third stage of the 2006 Tour de France, Valverde crashed, and had to abandon the Tour with a fractured right collarbone. His ambition to win a Grand Tour shifted to the Vuelta, later that year. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Tour of the Basque Country (Spanish: Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, Basque: Euskal Herriko txirrindulari itzulia) is an annual cycling stage race held in the Basque Country in April. ... The Classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. ... La Flèche Wallonne is a major professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium. ... Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne (the oldest woman), is one of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar, and the oldest. ... The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI ProTour. ... The Tour de France is the worlds best-known cycling race, a three-week-long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ... Italian bicycle manufacturing company (1952 to present) based in Treviso, Italy. ... Treviso is a town in the Veneto region of Italy. ... An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ... Jan Ullrich (born December 2, 1973 in Rostock, East Germany, now Germany) is a retired German professional road bicycle racer. ... Ivan Basso (born November 26, 1977) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, most recently with Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. ... The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. ...

Valverde entered the 2006 Vuelta as the top favorite. Since he did not ride a full Tour de France he was in better condition then some of the other candidates for the victory: Menchov (title defender) and Sastre both ended in the top 10 of the 2006 Tour de France and were expected to be somewhat fatigued. Valverde won the 7th stage and dominated mountain stages, earning him the gold leader jersey after stage 9. Valverde lost the jersey however due to the aggressive climbing and attacking of Alexander Vinokourov. In the last time trial, Valverde again lost time on Vinokourov and had to settle for the 2nd place in the overall standings, his second podium finish in a Grand Tour. At the age of 27, critics are sure many will follow. Following his impressive performance in the Vuelta Valverde won yet another major title, winning the 2006 UCI ProTour with several major races still left on the ProTour calendar as his point lead had reached unassailable levels. Alexander Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, (born 16 September 1973 in Petropavlovsk, Soviet Union, now Petropavl, Kazakhstan) is a Kazakh professional road bicycle racer. ... The 2006 ProTour is the second year of the UCI ProTour system, in which the ProTour teams are guaranteed, and obliged to, participate in the series of ProTour races. ... The UCI ProTour is a system of a set of professional cycling teams and cycling races, in which all of these teams are required to, and guaranteed to, participate. ...

At the 2006 World Championship, Valverde was considered one of the favorites for the title. Although he did not win , he was able to finish 3rd and claim a bronze medal.

He started 2007 strongly and won the overall classification at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Vuelta a Murcia. In stage 4 of the Vuelta a Murcia, Valverde accomplished his first win in a time trial. The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Comunitat Valenciana region of Spain. ... The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia (English: Tour of Murcia) is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. ...

Major achievements