The organisation of the Spanish tour has decided to award the cyclist from Murcia the nº 1 bib in recognition for having faced the challenge of participating in three consecutive Grand Tours besides also competing in the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, from which he has just returned.
Alejandro Valverde, veteran rider from the Movistar Team, will be in charge of wearing the number 1 bib in the 71st edition of the Vuelta a España that will kick off from the Laias Health Resort (Ourense) on Saturday, the 20th of August with a team time trial commencing at 6:26pm. The Vuelta organisation has decided to award the Murcia rider for this commitment and courage in facing a challenge few dare to: three consecutive Grand Tours, with a participation in the Olympic Games in between.
Valverde therefore takes on his fourth great competition this season, following the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro. In the Italian tour, he obtained third place on the podium, in the French one he achieved a well-deserved sixth place, fighting hard right up to the very end, and Rio was his fourth Olympic participation.
At 36 years of age, with a past that is full of triumphs in grand tours, classic competitions and world championships, on Saturday he will get on his bike again to take part in the new edition of the Vuelta a España, a competition that has brought him numerous victories, the greatest of which was seven years ago when he came first in the 2009 Vuelta general classification.