- In 4th place, Valverde is just over a minute down on Purito. So, easily within striking range of the top spot. - Has two individual stage wins here already, and even though Purito was with him, the manner in which he motored over the top of Bertie to the Andorra stage 8 finish was clearly impressive. I think he looked the best of those three that day, and it appeared to me like he could have kept going for another few kms, if needed. - Has had a great come-back season, showing good consistent form all the way through, and not just in places. Impressed me at the Tour to finish in 20th, after nabbing a stage victory for himself. - Won this race in 2009. And in the penultimate stage 20, an ITT, he finished 7th, only 36 secs down on Millar.
Expect him to narrow the gap on Purito in the upcoming individual time-trial, and since he's only 14 secs down on Froome I would have him much closer on price.
i do agree he's a ridiculously big price c.f. Froome and has to be worth a bet at big prices. i dont get the feeling he's going for the GC 100% though. I honestly think this is Purito's race, all being well.
i do agree he's a ridiculously big price c.f. Froome and has to be worth a bet at big prices. i dont get the feeling he's going for the GC 100% though. I honestly think this is Purito's race, all being well.
i do agree he's a ridiculously big price c.f. Froome and has to be worth a bet at big prices. i dont get the feeling he's going for the GC 100% though. I honestly think this is Purito's race, all being well.
i do agree he's a ridiculously big price c.f. Froome and has to be worth a bet at big prices. i dont get the feeling he's going for the GC 100% though. I honestly think this is Purito's race, all being well.
Valverde took advantage again and raced intelligently to win his second stage of the 2012 Vuelta.
“I followed Purito, who knew what to do, and I knew I had to be first in the final corner to win,” said Valverde, who revived his GC hopes after crashing in the controversial splits in stage 4 to Valdezcaray.
“I will keep fighting for the GC, but I am the one who’s raced most this season and who is the least fresh of all the top favorites here,” Valverde continued. “I will continue with the idea of the GC, but we’ll see.”
In fact, of the leading four, no one seems overly confident in his chances just yet. Everyone knows the hardest part of the Vuelta is still to come and everyone is on a different page when it comes to form.
Valverde wasn’t even going to race the Vuelta and only decided to do so after his Tour de France didn’t go as well as hoped. Good thing, because defending champion Juanjo Cobo is this Vuelta’s nowhere man so far.
Valid point, and I thought the same thing, until I found this on Velo News - interesting read, confirms a lot of my understanding:
Valverde took advantage again and raced intelligently to win his second stage of the 2012 Vuelta.“I followed Purito, who knew what to do, and I knew I had to be first in the final corner to win,” said Valverde, who revived his GC hopes after cras