Alejandro Valverde may have retired as a professional cyclist, but only on the road.
The 42-year-old Spaniard won the first gravel race of the year for Movistar’s special gravel team on Sunday.
Valverde crossed the finish line solo in a new gravel race in Berja (Almería) that is part of the UCI Gravel World Series. There were 97 difficult kilometres on the route with 2,400 metres of climbing. Valverde finished four minutes ahead of Ismael Esteban Agüero and Cameron Mason.
With his victory in this race which is part of the UCI Gravel World Series, Valverde also automatically qualified for the Gravel World Championship, which will be held in the Veneto, Italy, on the weekend of 7 and 8 October.
