Como se pode exigir deste homem um lugar de destaque no Tour??
Um ciclista que ganha uma semi clássica como esta, que faz 3ºlugar no Strade Bianche (que só não fez melhor por má leitura da corrida da sua equipa e do resto do grupo perseguidor), não poderá ter o mesmo sucesso num GT como ciclistas como Nairo Quintana, Contador, Froome!! Valverde quando chegar à altura do Tour já tem a temporada ganha!! O problema é que toda a gente cai em cima dele se não fizer top 5 no Tour esquecendo-se de tudo o que ele fez na primavera.
Entrevista após o Roma-Maxima
“I’m super happy, it was a great victory. It all went perfectly for us, but we deserved it: the team was sensational and took control of the race all day, so we could get to the climbs with all chances to succeed. At the last climb, we did what we had planned before the start: attacking, Nairo and myself, one by one, to break the bunch into pieces. It wasn’t easy, because although the pace was high, the rivals were sitting on our wheels and always gives you much more energy. However, we kept on insisting, and such constance was the key for success. Eventually, I went away with Pozzovivo. Though I led the first part of the descent, he helped me out quickly and was a loyal break companion; it’s sad he couldn’t take second, because he deserved to be on the podium. Once we made that gamble, we had to dig deep until the very end. I went on full steam all the time, despite the headwind in the last 30k. I didn’t know either how many riders were behind, and Pozzovivo told me in the finale he was suffering a lot. That’s why I led the two of us through the last kilometer, controlling the gap with the peloton and looking for my distance into the sprint. I knew I had the legs and a decent gap to make it. This start of the season is amazing for me, impossible to beat. Not only because of the wins, but also the sensations. I’m 33 years old, but I feel stronger and stronger every year. Let’s hope it keeps going on this way.”
