Do Not Overlook the “Other Spaniard” – Alejandro Valverde Could Be GC Darkhorse

Alejandro Valverde is the designated GC leader of the Movistar Team.  Yet he is not even among the top five favorites to win the 2015 TDF Yellow Jersey, according to an Internet site for betting odds.  His own teammate Nairo Quintana leads the top 5, followed by Nibali, Contador, Froome and Van Garderen.

Still, Valverde has been having a good year.  He won two of the spring classics, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.  He won three stages in the Volta a Catalunya (Tour of Catalonia), and he won the Sierra Tramuntana Trophy in Mallorca.  In addition, he placed 2^nd in the Tour of Oman. 

The Movistar Team (so named since 2011) has a very long history full of glory, albeit under a confusing genealogy of names.  During the 1980s as “Reynolds” the team’s Pedro Delgado won the Tour de France in 1988 and the Vuelta a Espana in 1989.  From 1990 to 2003, the name changed to Banesto, during which time Miguel Indurain won the Tour de France five times and the Giro d’Italia twice.  In 2005 the team, as “Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balereas,” placed Francisco (“Paco”) Mancebo as the TDF’s winning young rider (White Jersey) in 2000, and overall GC 4^th in 2005.  Already by 2005 Valverde was a rising star on the team.  Valverde’s best results in Grand Tours were: Vuelta a Espana: 1st 2009, and seven other top-5 finishes; Tour de France: 2 top-5 finishes, including 4^th place in 2014.

Movistar inherited several of the strong Basque riders when Euskatel-Euskadi folded, including Benat Intxausti and Igor and Ion Izaguirre.  Promising young Columbian rider Nairo Quintana joined Movistar in 2012, and could well be their new GC leader before long.

But, for now at least, Valverde is still the designated leader.  In order to conquer the Yellow Jersey in the 2015 Tour, he will need strong support from Quintana, Intxausti and the other climbers.  The odds-makers do not expect him to win, but I am sure that the so-called “favorites” will not overlook him in the decisive mountain stages of this year’s Tour.  

A couple of Movistar news updates:

In May, Movistar’s Alex Dowsett set a new One-Hour record of 52.937 Km.  This may help him secure a spot on the Movistar squad for the TDF.  Unfortunately for him, a month later his record was broken by Brad Wiggins at 54.526 Km.

This week (June 7 to 14) Valverde and Movistar are prepping for the Tour de France as they ride the Critérium du Dauphiné.  After Stage 6, Valverde was in 3^rd place, only 30 seconds behind race leader Vincenzo Nibali.  But the next day in Stage 7 (June 13), Team Sky lit some fireworks in the peleton and rocketed their leader Chris Froome to the stage win, and from 9^th to 2^nd overall.  Valverde could not match the firepower of the attack, so his teammate Benat Intxausti was allowed to leave him and try to keep up with the attackers.  Valverde lost 2 minutes, but Intxausti finished in 4^th place for the stage, and moved up to 3rd overall, just 45 seconds behind current race leader Tejay Van Garderen.  So, will Valverde be able to match the other leaders next month in the Grand Tour?  Only time will tell.

The Movistar Team advance car, 2014 Tour de France (Lentilly - a village near Lyon- Stage 12).

The Movistar Team support car, 2014 Tour de France (Lentilly - a village near Lyon- Stage 12).

Valverde's former teammate, Francisco ("Paco") Mancebo (left), and Levi Leipheimer (yellow) fighting for supremacy in Park City at the 2010 Tour of Utah.

Mancebo still holding King of Mountains jersey after Park City stage, Tour of Utah 2010.  He finished the race in second place overall, but lost the King of Mountains jersey in the last stage.  He no longer rides the Tour de France, but is popular in the Tour of Utah.