Alejandro Valverde: Rider Profile

• Wednesday, 5 November 2008
• Alasdair Fotheringham
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ALEJANDRO VALVERDE
Date of birth: 25/04/80
From: Las Llumberas, Spain
Team: Movistar
Previous teams: Caisse d'Epargne [2006-2010], Illes Balears - Caisse d'Epargne [2005], Kelme [2002-2004]

Alejandro Valverde career profile
Dubbed ‘El Imbatible' - Mr Unbeatable - Alejandro Valverde was considered to be of the most talented all-rounders in the peloton. Be it Grand Tours, week-long stage races, or one-day Classics, Valverde was a factor - witness his 12 victories in 2008.

Valverde's first big success on home soil came in the Vuelta a Espana, before he burst onto the international scene with a victory at Courchevel in the Tour 2005 - ahead of Lance Armstrong.

Since then Valverde has racked up further victories in the Vuelta a Espana, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Catalonia and the Dauphine Libere. But it is his link to the anti-doping investigation, Operacion Puerto, that has tainted his racing career.

Valverde was banned from racing on Italian soil for two years in May 2009 thanks to his alleged involvement in the Operacion Puerto doping affair, and was unable to take part in the 2009 Tour de France, which entered Italian soil.

In May 2010, the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed Valverde a two-year suspension on the strength of the evidence used to ban him in Italy, backdated to January 1, 2010. All of his results from the 2010 season were annulled. The ban finishes on December 31, 2011.

Valverde returned to racing at the Tour Down Under, Australia, in January 2012, winning the race's toughest stage on Old Willunga Hill.

Alejandro Valverde results
2011
Tour Down Under; stage five

2010
Tour of the Mediterranean; overall (annulled)
Tour of the Mediterranean; mountains classification (annulled)
Tour of the Basque Country; stage one (annulled)
Tour of the Basque Country; stage two (annulled)
Tour of Romandy; stage (annulled)
Tour of Romandy; overall  (annulled)

2009

Vuelta a Espana; overall
Dauphiné Libéré; overall
Tour of Burgos; overall
Tour of Catalunya; stage three
Tour of Catalunya; overall
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon; stage five
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon; stage three
Klasika Primavera

2008
Tour de France; stage
Vuelta a Espana; stage
Clasica San Sebastian
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
ProTour overall
Dauphine Libere; overall
Dauphine Libere; stage one
Dauphine Libere; stage three
Dauphine Libere; points classification
National road race championships
Tour of Murcia; stage
Tour of Murcia; overall

2007
Tour of Valencia
Tour of Murcia; overall
Tour of Murcia; stage
Tour of Burgos; stage
Clasica Alcobendas; stage

2006
ProTour overall
Fleche Wallone
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Vuelta a Espana; stage
Tour of Romandie; stage
Tour of Basque Country; stage
Tour of Murcia; stage

2005
Tour of Mallorca; overall
Tour of Mallorca; stage
Tour of Mallorca; stage
Paris-Nice; stage
Tour of Basque Country; stage
Tour of Basque Country; stage
Tour de France; stage

2004
Tour of Valencia; overall
Tour of Valencia; stage
Tour of Valencia; stage
Tour of Murcia; overall
Tour of Basque Country; stage
Clasica Primavera
Tour of Castille y Leon; stage
Tour of Castille y Leon; stage
Tour of Castille y Leon; stage
Tour of Burgos; overall
Tour of Burgos; stage
Tour of Burgos; stage
Tour of Burgos; stage
Vuelta a Espana; stage

2003
Tour of Mallorca; overall
Tour of Basque Country; stage
Clasica Primavera
Tour of Aragon; stage
Trofeu Joaquim Agostinho; stage
Trofeu Joaquim Agostinho; stage
GP Villafranca
Vuelta a Espana; stage
Vuelta a Espana; stage

Alejandro Valverde photos

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