Following his eighth place finish in Flèche Wallonne this past Wednesday, Caisse d'Epargne's Alejandro Valverde says he's ready to try bring home his third win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Spaniard missed out on the Amstel Gold Race a week ago due to the ban placed on most European flights caused by the Icelandic volcano.
Valverde said he had a tough time getting into his rhythm during Flèche Wallonne, but by the time the peloton reached the Mur de Huy he was back on track.
“I was feeling better and better with the passing of hours,” he explained after the race. “In the final climb I was completely better even if not good enough to win the race. I stared coming closer and closer and I believe that had I been more confident I could take the third place on the podium.”
Having previously won Liège-Bastogne-Liège two years apart, in 2006 and 2008, he is optimistic about his chances in Ans for the 2010 edition.
“I felt quite well during the Flèche Wallonne, although I missed a bit of strength during the last part," he said. "However, I found the race quite useful to get the rhythm of competition for Sunday."
He sees many favorites for the race tomorrow, all in with a chance for the win: "This is a competition with the best riders and nobody can claim the victory until the final meters, as we saw on Wednesday with Evans' triumph."
The Spaniard has spent the last couple of days preparing for tomorrow's race. Road construction has eliminated the Haute-Levée and Vecquée climbs, which have been replaced by the Col du Maquisard and the Mont-Theux.
"We have used these previous days to recover from the effort [of Flèche Wallonne] and to ride the route,” he added. While the course changes aren't expected to affect the outcome of the race, he'll also have refreshed his memory of final run-in that includes the Côte de la Redoute, Côte de la Roche aux Faucons, the Cote Saint-Nicolas and the finishing uphill drag in Ans.