Valverde to focus completely on Le Tour
by Christopher See on Mar 8, 2009 3:24 PM EDT
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PrintIn a sidebar in the current Pro Cycling, Eusebio Unzue has revealed that Alejandro Valverde will focus completely on winning this years Tour de France. His preparation, or lack of it, will include no more than 20 days racing. None of these days will be raced to win. The plan is acknowledged as "risky", but is recognition of Velverde's ability to be competitive with "very little training." Alas we may have seen a reversion to the thrilling days of yesteryear, when a certain American rider prepped for his monomaniacal domination of the event in much the same way. How will this approach fit in with the current CONI inquiry? How many race sponsors (ASO, RCS) will be happy to see one of the top talents in the peloton show up at their event simply to use it as a training ride?
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How many
PdCers are glad they dropped him from their VDS team?
somehow
I think this is a great loss-leader approach by Unzue.
As in . . get some pub from a rider who will be spending more time consulting with lawyers than training this year.
Isn't the Tour going to Italy this year?
Can he even ride the Tour?
Racing for Victory and Free Beer!
OHH good question!!
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950
Yes, the Tour passes through Italy
If CONI bans him from riding in Italy, and the ban is upheld, Valverde can not ride the Tour. Certo.
This Tour-focus thing has been in the press for some time now. There have been several interviews and whatnot about it.
Not really clear if he’ll ride at all, at this point, though.
Oh, he's totally borked
His defence came down to a question of jurisdiction, and Capodacqua has a piece setting down the various different Italian laws which cover him. Very technical, so I’m not even going to dare to try to summarise it.
I'll head over there in a bit.
I haven’t had a chance to read through the latest Capo, but I will.
Will write some updates on this – and maybe various other stuff – lates.
I’ve pretty much thought from the start that they would nail him, though anything can happen when there’s spendy lawyers on the scene.
reading it now
Every time I read about Puerto – which really, I can’t believe I’m still doing – I can’t help but laugh at the dog nicknames. Really? You all used your dogs as code names? Oh. my.
Minbe would be "Mishima"
My Akita.
Although I had to put her down a month ago (15 years old), but that would be my codename.
If it were cats, I’d have four to choose from: Lola, VuDu, Metro and Daddy Baby
Racing for Victory and Free Beer!
The smart guys
should have used the name of a rival’s dog. “My dog’s name? Uh, Molly.”
He has no charisma--Thomas Dekker, on Cadel Evans
Molly Princess
is so annoyed at her private life being invaded by the rumors, that she took down her twitter site!
Oh I love Akitas!
I used to have a basset hound but she has passed into the great basset pack in the sky :-(
Wasn't one of the blood bags labelled "Jan"
Almost surprised there wasn’t a date of birth, telephone number, and current address…
well Valv.Piti
didn’t rally need an expert codebreaker to work out.
But the really impressive thing is how he managed to keep so many of the peloton on his books at the same time without any of them seeming to realise that anybody else was getting the same help. You really couldn’t hope to script it.
That's assuming that they didn't know.
Could just be that they looked the other way and helped use it to justify what they were doing…. well everybody’s doing it kinda thing.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
When the story first broke
there were a couple of reports detailing how they would all be assigned to different cafes to wait, and that he then rang them when the coast was clear. Luckiily for him I guess that no-one chose a window seat. The comings and goings on rest days in the Tour de France must have been worked out weefs ahead, especially when you see how many riders he was refilling. A bit like that bit from the start of “A Shot in the Dark”.
I wouldn't do that
I’ve heard the goals that you set for yourself should be realistic.
Did your favourite rider just win Montepaschi Strade Bianch Eroica Toscana? OK then.
Oh really? And has he told you this in person?
No, AV will be in the campervan, I am sure of this. You can have him later. Maybe.
Saving himself for the Tour...
All the sacrifice has not worked yet for Evans and Menchov so why should it work for Valverde?
Mon coeur appartient à les forçats de la route.
Oh
because his lackluster Tour performances in the past can effectively be blamed on having raced hard in April. Or so goes the “thinking”.
Seems either a stupid plan, or he just doesn’t give a fuck right now.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Mar 9, 2009 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions
except that...
This whole “focus on the Tour” thingy predates the CONI investigation – or at least, predates the public announcement of the CONI announcement. ProCycling is pretty far behind on this one – one of the hazards of the print thingy. There was an interview with Valverde at the team presentation where he spelled out this plan, and actually, it was around before that in various press comment thingies.
Or he just
really wants to take the year off and still get paid full salary.
I’m going to run this past the boss and see if it works – “Yeah, I’ve decided to just focus on our summer events, so I can be at my best.” I’m thinking it will go over well.
"I didn't look for him and I didn't see him. If you base your race on another rider, most of the time you lose."
Tom Boonen
"I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Bob"
I’m hoping it goes that well.
"I didn't look for him and I didn't see him. If you base your race on another rider, most of the time you lose."
Tom Boonen
If he does manage to race the Ardennes (which is unlikely given, well, his 'situation'),
I shall be seriously peeved if he just goes there for training. We want a Valverde/Cunego duel and we want it now!!
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