Alejandro Valverde is one of the best cyclists in the history of the cycling World Championships with 7 medals: 2 silver, 4 bronze and the coveted gold medal in Innsbruck 2018. Since he retired a couple of years ago, he has continued to be part of Movistar Team in various positions, acting as ambassador of the team or racing in gravel currently. His contract ends at the end of the season and his future, according to Marca and AS, could be different.
With the new president of the Spanish Cycling Federation there could be changes in the structure of the Men's National Team. José Vicioso has replaced José Luis López Cerrón and this could have him try a change of scenery and not renew Pascual Momparler, the coach who precisely directs the National Team after the forced departure of Javier Mínguez - after Valverde's gold in 2018. Successes have been conspicuous by their absence since then and there could be a change, according to Spanish news outlet Marca.
That change could very well go through Alejandro Valverde. At the moment what we know is that the veteran finishes his contract with Movistar at the end of the year and that he would like to be a coach and that the Federation would be interested in him being part of the structure. Nor is it ruled out that he could continue to be part of the structure of Abarca Sports (and even that he could work for Movistar and the RFEC at the same time).
The other name that has been mentioned as the possible new coach is Oscar Freire, 3 times world champion, who has made it clear on more than one occasion that he would be willing to fill in the position. In the most recent World Championships Enric Mas and Roger Adrià lit up the men's race in the elite ranks, whilst Mavi García also showed herself well in the women's event and Iván Romeo took a gold medal in the under-23 time-trial.
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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- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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