Alejandro Valverde poised to stay in GC contention as Giro d'Italia comes closer to the Alps

Movistar Team were not likely expecting Alejandro Valverde to sit just outside the Top10 towards the second half of the Giro d'Italia, however the 42-year old has put on an impressive performance at Blockhaus and is possibly eyeing a place in the Top10.

“It’s difficult, but we’re up there, and we’ll see how we go, day-by-day. Maybe I didn’t expect to be up there on a climb so hard and on a day with 5,000 metres of climbing," Valverde told Cyclingnews. Although Iván Sosa had been touted as the leader of Movistar Team, and the veteran would only be hunting stages, at Blockhaus the plans have changed as Valverde rode to ninth place on the road.

Still, he insists that the goal remains the same, despite the high place in the GC as it stands at the start of stage 12. "I’ll keep going for stages, even thought it’s true I’m up there in the overall too. So we’ll see what happens. This week is basically a series of flat or flattish stages, and then at the weekend we’ll see if I’m up for one thing or another," he added.

Valverde is in final season as a professional, and is unlikely to thrive in the high mountain stages that are to come in the final week. However, his performance at the time being is a positive surprise, and Movistar may encourage the veteran to ride for GC so as to secure a place in the World Tour for the coming years. Iván Sosa sits in 17th place in the overall classification, however it will not be easy for the Colombian to reel himself back into the Top10 unless if he rides a consistent race all the way to Verona - which should be his most complicated challenge.

Today will be a day well suited to his abilities, but it will at the same time provide a strong opportunity for a breakaway to succeed. The last time 'Bala' was high up in the final overall classification of a Grand Tour was at the 2019 Vuelta a España where he finished runner-up to Primoz Roglic.