The Slovenian has been the leader of the Vuelta a Espana since stage 10. However, he also enjoyed some fine form at the Giro d’Italia this year before eventually finishing third and Valverde, who is currently second in the general classification, is hoping that history will repeat itself.
“It’s true we lost some time yesterday, and it wasn’t my best day, but if I look at the day before [where Valverde broke away with Roglič on the Acebo – ed.] it went a lot better,” Valverde said.
“I’m going into this final week feeling optimistic.”
“Anything can happen. The leader could have a bad day or we could lose time. Third weeks in Grand Tours can cause problems for anybody,” Valverde said.
“We have to be realistic, and Roglic is going very well, but sometimes we’ve seen him crack at this point in a race.”
