26,000km in the bank in 2023 but Alejandro Valverde laughs off comeback suggestion

Quietly nestled away in a Veneto field, Alejandro Valverde sits in the passenger seat of a Movistar branded car and gathers himself before the UCI Gravel World Championships.

With just a skeleton support crew, it’s a far cry from his WorldTour days when the Spaniard was recognised as one of the biggest stars of the men’s WorldTour, but since his pro retirement at the end of 2022, Valverde has rebranded himself as something of a gravel racer.

A handful of wins in European races may not blow anyone’s mind, but the fact that 43-year-old has racked up 26,000 kilometres in his ‘retirement’ season speaks volumes of his commitment to his competitiveness. That said, the veteran has no plan to return to the top tier of the sport.

“I don’t miss the WorldTour. Maybe there were some feelings about missing it in the first month or so after I stopped but those feelings have gone and I’ve coped well with the situation,” Valverde told GCN at the start of the men’s race at the UCI Gravel Worlds.

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“I’m not coming back to professional cycling, there’s no doubt about that. I’m happy and content with how things are. It’s a different life, but a beautiful one. I’ve ridden 26,000km this season, more or less the same as last year but no, no, no. No comeback,” he said with a smile.

The Spaniard is still taking the World Championships seriously though. Flanked by his old boss Sebastián Unzué and former teammate Iván García Cortina, the former road world champion has his eyes set on another rainbow jersey.

“I’m enjoying my new life. There’s less pressure than there was before but I still get to ride my back and take part in some races. This is still a World Championships. It’s not like the road version, because there’s less pressure on me here,” he said.

“Today, I just want to enjoy the day. I’m here to compete, of course, but we’ll see where I am at the end. Today is about enjoying the moment.”