Valverde passes final test before Beijing

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) takes the sprint (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Alejandro Valverde will fly to China as a firm favourite for the Olympic road race title after taking a hard-fought victory in the Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday afternoon. Valverde, along with the rest of his Spanish Olympic team-mates, travelled to Madrid after the race and will fly to Paris on Sunday afternoon before travelling on to Beijing. They will then have less than five days to acclimatise before the Olympic road race on Saturday, August 9.

After mixed fortunes at the Tour, where he won the first stage but failed once more to live up to his billing as an overall contender, Valverde appears to have emerged from the race in top condition. "I finished the Tour very motivated, I proved today that both physically and mentally I am feeling very good," he said after his victory on Saturday. "If we are lucky in Beijing I think we can do great things over there too.

On a more personal level, Valverde counts German Stefan Schumacher and Italian Paolo Bettini as his most dangerous opponents. "I fear especially Stefan Schumacher if one considers the great condition he showed during the entire Tour. Paolo Bettini, the outgoing Olympic champion, must also be taken into account. And there surely will be many other riders who have prepared very well for this event."