“A major signing”: Alejandro Valverde analyses the arrival of Cian Uijtdebroeks at Movistar Team

Alejandro Valverde remains a central figure in Spanish cycling. No longer from the saddle, but from the team car, the rider from Murcia now serves as national coach and as an ambassador for Movistar Team. During the team’s presentation for the 2026 season in Valencia, Valverde reflected on his career, his new life away from the peloton, and his view of the present and future of cycling, in a conversation with MARCA in which he made it clear that even he was not fully aware, at the start, of everything that was still to come.

Looking back, Valverde admits that he would never have anticipated such a successful career. “When you dream of being a professional, once you achieve it you dream of winning a race or two, but everything I achieved, the victories, the World Championship… I never imagined that at all,” he confessed.

Those early days as “a kid at Kelme” now feel a long way from a career with more than a hundred victories, wins at Liege and Fleche, a Grand Tour and a Tour de France podium, achievements that were “unthinkable” at the time.

He also never expected such a long career. Naturally, he admits that around the age of 27 or 28 he thought retirement would come soon. “By 33 or 34 I would already be retired,” he used to tell himself, but reality was very different: world champion at 38 and final retirement at 41. “I did not expect such a long career,” he sums up.

The pandemic did not significantly alter the timing of his farewell, although he did have one clear wish: to say goodbye in front of fans, something he was ultimately able to do. Today, his daily life has changed completely. Valverde enjoys a much more family centred life, spending more time at home. “The family is big and it is a pleasure to be with them,” he explains. He still trains in the mornings, but his afternoons are fully dedicated to his children.

At home, sport has always been a fundamental pillar. “The only thing I wanted was for my children to play sport. I did not care whether it was cycling, football, basketball or anything else,” he says. For him, what matters are values and freedom of choice, without pressure. His children have opted for football, and one of them, Alejandro, is progressing through the Real Murcia Promises academy in the División de Honor youth league, after previously being at Levante.

His new role as national coach has opened up a completely different scenario. Valverde admits it is “very different from being a rider” and that in this first year there are decisions he would now take differently. Even so, he is satisfied with the work done. Although medals did not arrive, he highlights the team’s performances and reminds that “being in the top ten at a World Championship or a European Championship is already difficult”.

The role excites him particularly because of the riders’ attitude. “The lads give everything and there was a lot of team spirit,” he underlines. While as a rider he only thought about competing, once he stopped racing the idea of directing from the team car genuinely began to appeal to him.

Valverde looks at modern cycling with an experienced eye. He believes the sport has evolved towards much more complete rider profiles. “Before there were more specialists. The sprinter was a sprinter, the climber a climber. Now riders are complete in everything and that is good,” he reflects, noting that he himself was already performing from January to October, something that has now become the norm.

As for Movistar Team, he senses a special motivation. He views the signing of Cian Uijtdebroeks positively, considering him “a major signing” if things go well for him. Regarding Enric Mas, he calls for patience during his recovery following surgery and is confident that he can return to his best level, while insisting that the process must be gradual.

When ranking his career achievements, Valverde has no doubts about placing the World Championship at the top, followed by the Vuelta a España. After that, he lists a long series of key moments: Liege, Fleche, Courchevel or the Tour de France podium. “There have been too many important moments,” he sums up.

Looking to the future, he does not hide a personal wish: that in 25 years’ time it will be remembered that he won “a World Championship as national coach”. As for the current state of international cycling, he considers it entirely possible for Tadej Pogacar to win his fifth Tour de France. “He has been far superior over the last two years,” he says, while adding that simply maintaining that level would already be enough, without needing to go any further.

The toughest moment of his career did not come on the bike, but off it. The process leading up to the suspension was, as he acknowledges, “mentally the most difficult”. Even so, his outlook on Spanish cycling remains optimistic. He hopes that a new Valverde will emerge and points to promising names. “Noval is exceptional and there are more names coming through very strongly,” he concludes, convinced that the future still offers plenty of reasons for hope.