Alejandro Valverde

‘Balaverde’ relishing anticipation of Ardennes showdown against Gilbert

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Movistar rider remains defiant

Valverde, Cobo lead Spanish squad

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Riders to debut next week

Alejandro Valverde isn't lacking self-confidence as he's poised to return to racing later this month

Alejandro Valverde will be making his comeback in Movistar colors on Wednesday

Juanjo Cobo will return to Movistar next season

Movistar manager Eusebio Unzue has welcomed Alejandro Valverde back to the fold and believes that he can return to his prolific best despite sitting on the sidelines since 2010.

The UCI has scuttled a scheduled presentation of Alejandro Valverde as a new member of Movistar next season.

Valverde had maintained close links to Movistar throughout his ban and was expected to welcomed back to the team.

Disgraced Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde has been out training with his Movistar teammates in Majorca while he serves a ban for doping.

Switzerland’s top court has reject an appeal by Alejandro Valverde, who had sought to overturn an earlier a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling suspending him until 2012.

For the first time since the team’s early days in the early 1980s, before Reynolds evolved into super-teams under the Banesto, Illes Balears and Caisse d’Epargne banners, Eusebio Unzue won’t have a major GC captain to carry the squad into the grand tours.

Alejandro Valverde lost the latest round of his lengthy attempt to overturn Italian anti-doping sanctions on Friday after Switzerland’s highest court rejected his arguments as “unfounded.”

With Alejandro Valverde on suspension, Caisse d'Epargne packs the one-two punch of Giro d’Italia runner-up David Arroyo and Luis León Sánchez.

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Alejandro Valverde has no chance of seeing a lengthy doping ban reduced by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) if he admits to doping, according to the UCI.

Readers ask whether Floyd Landis has been suspended and what rule did Alejandro Valverde violate/

While Dick Pound’s term as WADA president expired at the end of 2007, the 68-year-old former Olympic swimmer remains a member of the WADA board and still quite willing to express his opinions.

Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde on Monday received a two-year ban from world sport's top court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), over his implication in the Operación Puerto drugs scandal, which erupted in 2006.

UCI press release re: Alejandro Valverde suspension

WADA poised at globalizing Valverde ban

Alejandro Valverde’s victory in the Tour de Romandie gave him the lead in the UCI world rankings issued Monday.

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) wins the final stage and takes the overall victory in the Tour de Romandie.

Hot off second place at the Vuelta al País Vasco behind Chris Horner (RadioShack), Valverde says he’s in shape to have a good run through the Ardennes.

Horner, Valverde lead teams for Amstel

Chris Horner survived Friday’s wild rollercoaster across the Basque hills to set himself up for an exciting, final-day time trial showdown against Alejandro Valverde with the overall title of the grueling Vuelta al País Vasco (Tour of the Basque Country) on the line Saturday.

Euskaltel's Samuel Sanchez won the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country on Thursday.

Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre) wins the third stage of Vuelta a País Vasco.

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) won Tuesday’s stage at the Vuelta al País Vasco, this time without a protest, at least not from his part.

Alejandro Valverde hopes to profit from Alberto Contador's absence at the Tour of the Basque Country.

UCI president Pat McQuaid said Saturday that governing body will wait for the outcome of a pending appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport before seeking a worldwide ban of Caisse d'Epargne's Alejandro Valverde.

The International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Alejandro Valverde’s challenge to his two-year suspension from competition in Italy.

In Europe this week, the Vuelta a Murcia and the Monte Paschi Eroica are the big races, while mid-week races in Italy and Belgium keep things rolling. Andrew Hood takes a look.

The organizers of Spain’s Vuelta a Murcia, which begins Wednesday, have refused to admit Italian teams, an action in solidarity with Alejandro Valverde who has been banned from competing in Italy.

Alejandro Valverde wins the Tour Méditerranéen as Francesco Masciarelli takes the finale.

Alejandro Valverde wins the Tour Méditerranéen as Francesco Masciarelli takes the final stage.

Just like he did in 2009, Belarussian Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJeux) won the opening stage of the Tour Méditerranéen in France on Wednesday. Pushed along by frigid winds, the 26-year-old won ahead of William Bonnet (Bbox Telecom) and Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana) in the 92.4km stage in Sauvian.

The French bank, Caisse d’Epargne, will end its sponsorship of the Spanish cycling team that bears its name at the end of the 2010 season.

Former Spanish cyclist Jesus Manzano has repeated doping charges against former teammate and compatriot Alejandro Valverde, adding that the Vuelta a España winner should admit his violations rather than continuing to deny them.

Alejandro Valverde’s long and winding road and his alleged links to Puerto reached a head this week during a three-day hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which closed Thursday with a hint that the Vuelta a España champion likely won’t be racing in Italy anytime soon.

Riders and teams reacted with enthusiasm to the route chosen for the 2010 Vuelta a España.

Beleaguered Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde will finally get his day in sport court – or make that two.

2009 Vuelta a España champ Alejandro Valverde may skip his title defense for a shot at the Tour de France, which he says "is the race with more international prestige."

• 1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP), Caisse d'Epargne, 87:22:37
• 2. Samuel Sánchez (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 55
• 3. Cadel Evans (AUS), Silence-Lotto, at 01:32
• 4. Ivan Basso (ITA), Liquigas, at 02:12
• 5. Ezequiel Mosquera (ESP), Xacobeo Galicia, at 04:27