However, since his retirement, Valverde decided to shed his "obsession" with road cycling and venture into other disciplines. In 2023, he focused on gravel, showing spectacular performance, and in 2024 he decided to explore mountain biking.
He had planned to take part in the Cape Epic, the challenging MTB adventure in South Africa that attracts numerous cycling stars. However, a crash in January led him to change his plans, as he had to undergo collarbone surgery. With the Cape Epic scheduled for March, Valverde opted to look for an alternative and signed up for the Vuelta a Ibiza MTB, his first foray into a mountain bike stage race. "In three hours, you can't rest for a moment, neither on the climbs nor on the descents," Valverde comments on the intensity of mountain racing.
Valverde has experienced firsthand the toughness of competing in three stages of 68, 75 and 55 kilometers on technical terrain, and has shined despite the challenges. He admits that he is not yet challenging his limits in this discipline, he simply enjoys it as a pleasure and has not intensified his training and technical work, a crucial aspect in mountain biking.
For the Murcian cyclist, mountain biking is much more stressful than road cycling, as it requires constant concentration during the three-hour race.
Although Valverde is not yet as hooked on MTB as he is on gravel, he recognizes that he enjoys it. He stresses the radical difference between mountain biking and road cycling: "In MTB, you can't rest at all. Whether it's going up or down, you're at your best for three hours. You enjoy it all the same, but you barely have time to contemplate the scenery, something you can do on the road."