Alejandro Valverde

World cycling chief Pat McQuaid said the International Cycling Union (UCI) could do nothing to stop Alejandro Valverde from racing the world championships road race on Sunday. Valverde is currently serving a two-year ban in Italy handed down by the country's Olympic Committee (CONI). But despite admitting he believed Valverde was implicated in the Operation Puerto scandal that erupted in May 2006, McQuaid said he would not extend that ban worldwide until the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rules on two appeals later this year. "We make the rules and we have to follow the rules, and for the moment Alejandro Valverde can ... Read Full Story

Alejandro Valverde is closing in on the Spanish Vuleta title with one stage to go. The Spanish rider for Caisse D'Epargne cemented his overall lead Saturday with a seventh-place finish in a time trial won by Britain's David Millar of Garmin-Slipstream. Valverde finished in 35 minutes, 53 seconds. Spain's Samuel Sanchez was five seconds behind and Australia's Cadel Evans was nine seconds back. "I feel liberated. With patience I think I could win a Tour de France," Valverde said. "I wanted to win a big race. I knew I could do it." Valverde leads Sanchez in the overall standings by 55 seconds, and only ... Read Full Story

Italian Damiano Cunego claimed his second mountains victory of this year's Tour of Spain when he stamped his climbing prowess over the rain-hit 14th stage held over 157km from Grenada to La Pandera Sunday. Spanish race leader Alejandro Valverde of Caisse d'Epargne had to fight to keep the gold jersey but emerged defiant after resisting attacks from Samuel Sanchez, Ezequiel Mosquera, Cadel Evans and Robert Gesink on the final day in the high mountains. As the battle for final race glory went on in his wake, Cunego, Lampre's diminutive but explosive climber, defied the rainy conditions to produce a series of stinging attacks which ... Read Full Story

Controversial Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde took the overall lead of the Tour of Spain off Australian Cadel Evans following the race's ninth stage on Monday which was won by his compatriot Gustavo Cesar Veloso. Veloso, riding for Xacobeo Galicia, finished the 188.8-kilometre (117-mile) mountain stage between Alcoy and Xorret del Cati that included one category one climb in 5 hours, 21 minutes, 4 seconds. The 29-year-old attacked in the final climb of the stage to arrive 21 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Italy's Marco Manzano. "You have to win to know how hard achieving a victory is," said Veloso after winning the stage, ... Read Full Story

Germany's Andre Greipel of Team Columbia dominated a bunch sprint to win the 16th stage of the Tour of Spain on Tuesday as Alejandro Valverde retained the race leader's gold jersey. Greipel soloed over the finish line of the 170km stage between Cordoba and here with his arms in the air in triumph after leaving his sprint rivals for dust in the closing metres. Moments earlier a crash halted the progress of the main peloton as several wound up the speed in anticipation of a bunch sprint for the finish line. Caisse d'Epargne team leader Valverde managed to avoid the carnage and finished to ... Read Full Story