Alejandro Valverde has been proclaimed champion of the world of road bottom cycling in Innsbruck, Austria at the age of 38, when the decline of his career is approaching.

Valverde in his long career had already been close to getting the gold medal but had only been able to get 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Thanks to his quality, his perseverance and that tip of speed that has given him a record of legend now, at 38, crowned with world gold. The Murcia topped the tremendous work of a sublime Spanish team, who with choral work controlled the race at all times and left his leader the chance to play the triumph. And this time it did not fail. He reached the goal to Romain Bardet (silver), Michael Woods (bronze) and a Dumoulin that got hooked at the last moment but stayed at the gates of the podium. None could disturb the Spanish.

Everything was decided in Hell. There, in the rampón of 28% stayed the great favorite, Julian Alaphilippe, by the impetus of his companion Bardet. Alejandro Valverde was fresh and he was holding the wheel, thanks to the fact that until not long before he had not had to worry about controlling all the attacks. Fraile, De la Cruz, Herrada, Castroviejo, Izagirre have already taken care of that ... "You have to be in all the courts", Javier Mínguez had repeated in the previous one. Go that they were.

To the aforementioned Hell came the Dane Valgren ahead. Until then it had been Italy that had put more impetus in breaking the race and victim of those accelerations and had been discarded many favorites: Kwiatkowski, Simon Yates, Poels, Roglic (a fall it diminished him), the Colombians, Nibali ... Holland, which had also been reserved for the last kilometers, contributed to the battle.

But Spain wrapped its leader as it had to do, always jumping to the wheel. How the World Cups are run. A performance that will remain for history. A group that worked together since they pioneered a questioned concentration in Sierra Nevada that ended up being key. From there they left with a fixed idea: "We are going to give everything for Valverde".

And when the time came, the Murcian was there, on the infernal slopes where the podium was decided. Where Bardet and Woods made the selection and left everyone. There also gave Moscon, Only Dumoulin managed to recover but it served to witness the final sprint.

source uci.com

An arrival where Alejandro took the initiative, he knew faster, He started 200 meters and did not move away from the head until he crossed the finish line, looked at the sky and burst into tears. His masseuse, Juan Carlos Escámez, hugged him, while each member of the national team that made it to the finish line joined and celebrated the historic milestone of this gold. "It's not just mine, but this whole team," said Valverde, still with tears in his eyes. All sacrificed because he fulfilled the dream of wearing the rainbow. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is world champion.