Without Alejandro Valverde SPAIN would be MISSING in Cycling... Or NOT

[@cyclingstories]

We're searching for french, italian and japanese voices to our vids, please contact us in [e-mail] !

[@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at two ends of the erhmmm 'riding' age spectrum at Strade...Podgcar comes in at 22 and on the end of the spectrum a 42 year old finished 2nd. You couldn't make it up.

[@josvercaemer264]

Pas des belges???

[@veterinarius7646]

Man Valverde is a beast, all that doping he used most of his carrer didnt do any damage to his heart/body, guy is a freak of nature

[@bernardwatts5339]

We came across him at the Giro di Sicilia. A true gent with cycling enthusiasts.

[@you77198]

One of the most controversial cyclists in history? You have to be joking!! He is way, way way down on any list. He was in his very early 20's when the offence for which he was banned occurred yet even at 42 it still seems to be the thing that the press want to bring up. The fact that he is a great rider and a genuinely nice guy seems to count for very little.

[@Bicycle_ty]

Knock knock knock, it’s Alejandro!

[@nuttynut722]

let get his contract extend to 2030

[@nerigarcia7116]

One of my faves

[@roaringgirl7079]

Valverde rides with such *elan*, such *panache*, such ineffable *cool*, that I guess I don't care whether he dopes or not. Years of watching Team Sky/Eneos/Grenadiers stifle all the excitement and joy out of the sport (and talk about dopers, yes?) has made me appreciate the likes of Valverde all the more. I begrudge him nothing, and wish him all the best.

[@josvercaemer264]

Evert time he won in Huy, i had some vommit up my throath

[@NightShooter87]

Yes I feel the same. Team Sky are like watching paint dry, it's affective, but so boring.

[@koopalibrary]

Spain has same problem as italy. Harder to dope sport a bit cleaner.

[@jonathandasilva5749]

Italy maybe but Spain really tell me more.

[@koopalibrary]

@@jonathandasilva5749 Indurain, Heras, Valverde, Rodriguez, contador, mancebo, are just the suspicious names at the top of my head. Doping was widespread in all of cycling. But certain federations were seemingly less keen at least initially on enforcing rules once cycling in general attempted to clean up the act. If some leeway is given, if people turn a blind eye, it allows for doped cyclist to dominate the sport even at youth level. Real talents may get discouraged or slip through the mazes, whilst the doped up riders won't be able to continue as they did before. A reset and nurturing talent takes time.

[@jonathandasilva5749]

@@koopalibrary Hi his case illustrates my point Operation Puerto got lots of blood doping bags from Dr Eufemiano Fuentes. Footballers, Tennis players and Cyclists mostly Spanish. Now the Germans banned Ulrich and Italy Basso. Contador and the Spanish escaped. Spain said whatever - Valverde went to CAS and won as the Spanish refused to make a case. Their footballers and tennis players untouched. May 2006 Now Alejandro being Spanish was not even mentioned and got away with it. "Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Francisco Mancebo, Michele Scarponi, Tyler Hamiliton, José Enrique Gutierrez Cataluña, Roberto Heras, Dario Pieri and large parts of the Comunitat Valenciana and former Liberty Seguros cycling squads. Alberto Contador was also a suspect, but was later cleared of any involvement by the Spanish courts and world cycling's governing body" However cuddly Alejandro fell under the Italians at some point (marriage?) later and they banned him for 2 years - they did investigate and matched his blood. Indeed there was the debasement of the un-repentant cheat fleeing over the Swiss border to avoid arrest during a world championship - doping is illegal in Italy - de rigueur in Spain. I've never read anything that suggests he is a not an unrepentant cheat and find cycling's willingness to applaud his amazing longevity [aka suspicious] interesting. Do cycling fans not mind doping?

[@koopalibrary]

@@jonathandasilva5749 In the case of Valverde, from what i gather, i feel there is a believe the talent was always there, and the widespread doping in cycling was probably detrimental to his career. Meaning many people believe that if everyone rode clean during the whole of his career, that he would have won even more. As proven by him being able to perform presumable clean this late in his career. Doping is a difficult topic in cycling. Cause there is just about a whiff around every great cyclist. From Merckx, to Hinault, to Indurain and many others. From the mid '90 doping stopped being 'amateur work' and became sophisticated. I think it's from that point on with Festina, Armstrong, Ferrari, all the established networks built around doping that people felt there was a real need to change things. To tackle the doping problem. Not in the least cause it was creating a lot of negative publicity around the sport. I think most fans prefer clean cycling, or at least the feeling things are mostly been done clean. But because doping was ingrained in this endurance sport for so long, it is hard to just cross out achievements. Armstrong lost all his TdF titles, but is that fair given all his rivals are suspected dopers as well? it's a very grey area. It is more like fans accept certain era's of their sport for what they were. And with it, it's legends and their achievements. Whilst hoping the sport is cleaner today than it once was.

[@OfficialAndrewStreams]

A story of young People today

[@ratobrasileiro]

Push it to the limit

[@josvercaemer264]

Spain would be missing, Belgium not

[@tatigil1000]

Spaniards were so doped in 90s and 2000s that now they have to paid

[@erminiopreziosi1967]

Italians too...........

[@tucaramesuenaenvivo]

Amazing, an ancient is the only hope of spaniards what a pity

[@hughjazzzzzzz6220]

Enric mas

[@JordanCheyneComedy]

what a piti...

[@nuttynut722]

@@hughjazzzzzzz6220 I bet the old man can out climb him every day...

[@paulsolon6229]

Perhaps No real analysis in this video on valverde and doping, and whether he is doping now, nor the consternation valverde, a doper, caused when he won the world championships, nor of the race 5? yrs ago where valverde’s leader had a mechanical and the peloton wd not wait. V yelled at the group that it was “unsportsmanlike” to ride fast w a race contender slowed by a mechanical. V was told “to shove, how sportsman it is to cheat w drugs” and V lost that argument, the grp racing on

[@likeaboss6287]

Spain is dead on cycling man

[@elizabethpryce8335]

The pelaton will be the poorer without him cycling will miss him he's always gives a 100% and how many riders still winning at 42 Good luck to what ever you choose to do that's if you t

[@wilfredoandaluz5571]

The legend!

[@bernardwatts5339]

But when he retires everyone moves up a spot.

[@garyallen8125]

A courageous champion and a nice guy we will miss him in cycling… Bravo Valverde

[@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158]

@@wilfredoandaluz5571un impenitente doper..ya esta!

[@rkop737]

He shouldn’t even be allowed anywhere near pro cycling with this history. The Netflix documentary backfired bad and showed them as the bad guys what they actually are..