Alejandro Valverde is one of the most successful riders in the peloton, and yesterday he has added a new title to his vast palmarès of stage-races at Gran Camiño by overturning Michael Woods' lead in the time-trial in Sarria.
"Happy, above all, for having been able to take the overall classification. The team the work has done was amazing during the four days and to be able to take the first edition of this race, so well organized, is something very beautiful," Valverde said after the race's final time-trial, where he managed to get conquer the overall classification.
This was also the 25th stage-race win of his career, on 2.1 level or higher. The Spanish veteran is the most successful rider in the current peloton in this parameter. This includes a Vuelta a España and several other World Tour events, and with the form the 41-year old is showing, it is possible to see that number elevate before what should be his retirement in December.
Despite having lost 16 seconds on the Mirador do Ézaro on stage two to Michael Woods, Valverde used his sprint and consistency to reel back in the lost time on the Canadian and managed to overturn the lead by only seven seconds in the final time-trial.
"Yesterday [stage 3] we won the stage, we were always in the front in the four days - third in Vigo, second in Friday [Mirador do Ézaro], third also today with the GC - and I go ahead with a lot of excitement towards this race," he added.
Valverde was very positive on the balance of this new addition to the calendar, having said: "Before coming I had already talked to Ezequiel Mosquera [former Spanish pro rider and race organizer], and he had told me that that everything had gone right. It was a very beautiful race, with a lot of audience which is the important, and I hope it lasts many years."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
Loading
💛 Qué bonito verte con un amarillo de vencedor final, @alejanvalverde 🤗 🏆 La de hoy en #OGranCamiño es la 2️⃣5️⃣ª general de rondas por etapas profesionales que logra el Bala en su carrera, más que ningún otro corredor en activo. #LaÚltimaBala 📸 @PhotoGomezSport
🏆 Most Grand Tour / stage race (≥2.1) GC wins by active pros 25 - Valverde 20 - N.Quintana 17 - Froome 14 - V.Nibali, Roglic 10 - Fuglsang, Porte 9 - Boasson Hagen, Pogacar, G.Thomas 8 - Bernal, Demare, Evenepoel 7 - Gilbert, Pinot, Ulissi, Wellens 6 - Costa, GVA
Write a comment