How close was Alejandro Valverde to return to pro cycling in 2023? "If Eusebio had offered me to continue for a year, I would have accepted"
Cycling
Alejandro Valvede retired from pro cycling at the end of the 2022 season but his desire to keep racing did not end there. 'Bala' admits in a recent interview that he was only one question away from returning to the peloton in 2023.
“I no longer miss starting a race, but at the beginning I do. At the moment I feel like a cyclist, but not a professional cyclist. I go out to train to feel good and if necessary I do some gravel races, but I've already seen that, for example, when I see the group leaving, I no longer feel anything special," Valverde admitted in words to EFE.
Valverde had admitted so last year, and he kept riding with the Spanish team as if he were a pro rider. Indeed, he continues to do so until this day, and he reveals more details on his thinking last season in the months after his retirement: “It's always difficult to stop, any professional will admit it. Those who leave cycling have had the doubt of saying 'I'll come back or I won't come back', but then the idea passes. It happened to me too."
"I called Eusebio (Unzué, Movistar manager, ed.) and asked him if there was the possibility of continuing. He told me that I no longer needed to compete, that I no longer had anything to gain. Between the months of March and May 2023 I was determined to put my back on, but by the end of the year I was no longer determined. I think that if Eusebio had offered me to continue for a year, I would have accepted."
Valverde keeps on racing in Gravel and Mountain Biking events, even with strong results among current pros. However he senses that he has accepted the situation now and does no longer feel the need to race in the World Tour peloton. “You can live without a bicycle, of course, but I live much better with a bicycle. I'm sure I would feel lost without it. I feel better and I enjoy the bike much more than before."
"When you compete you always have extra pressure or an extra goal. Those who are behind you want you to win, there is a lot of responsibility, and that means you have to rest a lot, take care of yourself, eat well… In the end you neglect your family a little more, and now I'm having fun much more than before," he concludes, a happy ending to a story that had many twists and turns throughout the past year.
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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.
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🔥El Bala se animó a subir el 🏔️Alto del Vino! 👀Ojo con lo que dice 🇪🇸Alejandro Valverde al final de video! Está para colocarse un dorsal! 🇨🇴 #TourColombia2024 #Noticiclismo #Ciclismo
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