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What game is Alejandro playing at?
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Enlarge textValverde leads the Vuelta after the first open road stage, but does he really expect to stay in front after what promises to be three hard weeks of racing?
- 7 Comments | Join the discussion
The Spaniard leads after winning Stage 2 in magnificent style and subsequently took the ascendancy on the overall standings.
Cast your mind back to the first week in July in France where he was in exactly the same position only to spiral his way down the order well before the Tour ended in Paris.
He wore the Tour's yellow jersey for a handful of days and there's no reason to suggest he won't do the same on his native soil.
Valverde certainly likes to go hard very early, but hasn't he learned from previous experience?
Perhaps he has and is using this success as a way of showing his form is good, particularly after the Olympics.
There's no doubt, he has the power in his legs to win stages, but do the legs have the endurance to win the season's final Grand Tour?
Unless he relinquishes the race lead when the Vuelta hits the mountains in the second week, it's fair to say Valverde's chances of winning from start to finish are virtually impossible.
He's no fool and certainly wants to improve on his performance from 2006 when he finished runner-up on the general classification.
Indeed, Valverde has made a solid start in 2008 and there's every chance he'll be there or thereabouts when the Vuelta reaches Madrid on September 21.
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Comments (7)
what is he thinking
what on earth is he playing at winning stages in the worlds biggest races?
05 Sep 2008 17:34 AEST
From: Greenwith
Valverde
I wonder if he knows he cant beat Contador in the high moutains and is taking his chance at getting some wins? or is at as simple as wanting to be last out in the TT? anyway you look at it he is very good at the stages with a slight uphill finish did it a couple of times at the tour and now at the Vuelta. I cant see anyone even challenging Contador once the mountain stages start strong team and the best climber of the bunch with a punishing kick, maybe strong CSC and a inspired Sastre ?
02 Sep 2008 10:25 AEST
From: w
02 Sep 2008 10:12 AEST
From: Melbourne
What Valverde needs to do
I think that the main reason Valverde goes for the win on these early stages is because he wants to have the yellow jersey on his back for the time trial. Valverde is, after all, a mountain climber. But, unlike Kloden or Leipheimer, he is not a great individual time trialist. I also believe that he needs to not have the yellow jersey going into the mountains because Valverde is an attacking rider and he needs to be attacking the yellow jersey in the mountains, not defending it.
02 Sep 2008 10:09 AEST
From: Melbourne
Contador is the best
Contador will beat Valverde in the overall classification. Contador's recent ride in the olympic time-trial proves that what was once his weakness (time trial) he is now better than valverde at time trial.
02 Sep 2008 9:53 AEST
From: Melbourne
Tour de France
Valverde did the same thing during the tour de france. He won an early stage and then bombed out. Perhaps Valverde is getting too excited. Hopefully he can settle down and not put to much pressure on his team who now must control the race.
01 Sep 2008 13:45 AEST
From: Sydney
Exposure
Valverde is getting as much sponsorship exposure as is possible. To win a stage and wear the leader's jersey is a financial windfall for riders and sponor. Can he win the Vuekta from here - I doubt it. Well done SBS for showing the small highlights you do.
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About this Blog
Stay in touch with the ProTour road cycling season with SBS's cycling blog, featuring race reports, video highlights and blog coverage of every race of 2008, as well as details of SBS's racing coverage
Mike Tomalaris is SBS's cycling presenter, who has covered the Tour de France for 12 years. Mike is a keen cyclist himself, and covers a few hundred kilometres a week in a social weekend bunch ride. For cycling fans around Australia, Mike Tomalaris is cycling.
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13 Sep 2008 20:43 AEST
doug
From: canberra