"It won't be easy for them to beat me" - Alejandro Valverde confident ahead of Gravel World Championships

Alejandro Valverde will be confident at the start of the Gravel World Championships on Sunday. The 43-year-old Spaniard's professional career has been over for almost a year, but Bala has not been idle in recent months. "

I have been training throughout 2023 with the Gravel World Championships as a major goal in the back of my mind," he says in a press release from organizers.

Valverde goes for 'the best possible result' in the Italian Veneto. "I will be in the region in the coming days to explore the route. I have already studied the course a bit, but I want to know every bend. I know it won't be easy against some of the best riders in the world, but I can say one thing for sure: even for them it won't be easy to beat me."

"When I stopped being a professional cyclist, it was clear to me that I wanted to discover the gravel world. It was something completely new for me, but it gave me the opportunity to keep my competitive spirit alive," he said. At the World Championships, Valverde will compete with Wout van Aert, Florian Vermeersch and defending champion Gianni Vermeersch, among others.