TOAlejandro Valverde no introduction needed. With more than 133 victories as a professional, ‘Bala’ has been one of the great references of an entire generation whose passion for cycling was born with his first pedal strokes. 20 years after his debut as a professional, the Murcian announced his retirement; However, his close relationship with road cycling did not end there. In March 2025, the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation made his incorporation as coach official, with the firm intention of continuing to take a step forward.
Now, more than a year after that announcement, Valverde attends to MARCA to analyze the situation of Spanish cycling, the moment they are going through Ayuso and Carlos Rodríguez and the emergence of Seixas. Furthermore, with the World Cup in Canada on the horizon, It already focuses on the great objective of the national team.
ASK. We are now four months into the 2026 season. How do you see this course for Spanish cycling?
ANSWER. Well, it’s started pretty well. Then also with the bad luck of Ayuso’s fall, now it has gotten bad for the Ardennes with a virus, but overall good. Romeo, Canal… runners who were in the World Cup and the European Championship last year are already starting to get victories and be ahead. It has started well.
Q. As a result, Juan Ayuso started very well in the Algarve, but since Paris it seems that he has gone backwards. What is your assessment of your season so far?
R. It started very well, that means that the condition is there. He has not lost confidence, although he has changed teams he is still there. But the body does not always respond the way you want: you have had falls, which is bad luck, and when you have falls you want to push yourself too hard and you end up crushing your body without recovering, which can lead to infections. You have to make a good balance. It could have been better without those problems, of course, but there is a lot of year left.
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Q. He said that his goal in the Tour is the podium. Do you see it as feasible with the existing rivals?
R. I can see it feasible, of course. I don’t know if it will be this year, but I do see him on the podium at some point. It’s complicated, of course, but if he puts it in his head he has to go for it. Then it will come out or not, but the important thing is to believe it.
I see Ayuso on the Tour podium some year; the important thing is that you believe it
Alejandro Valverde
Q. Another name: Carlos Rodríguez. He has had two complicated seasons if we compare it with 2023. What is he missing?
R. Above all, luck. He is a runner who is doing very well, but when he starts to get his head back he has another fall. He accumulates blows and thus it is difficult to compete at the level we have now, which is very high. Between the falls and perhaps some lack of confidence, that is taking a toll on him.
Q. One of the names from the beginning of the season is Paul Seixas. How do you see its emergence?
R. Incredible. A 19-year-old kid, just as he is… in Strade Bianche, standing up to Pogacar. It’s impressive how he wins, how he starts, attacking from afar, brave. He is a very good talent who must be followed closely.
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Q. Everything indicates that he will go to the Tour. Would I advise you to run it now?
R. You can go, but you have to know what you are going for. I don’t see it as trying to win or make a ‘Top-3’. He is very young. The season has started very well and has to grow little by little. You don’t have to burn it. You can go to learn, to watch the race, and later, if everything goes well, go for it.
You can go to the Tour de France, but you have to know what you are going for
Alejandro Valverde
Q. Can the pressure in France be counterproductive?
R. It can be. We are already seeing that even politics enters into its renewal. That’s heavy. Although it may seem nice, it is added pressure, and at 19 years old it may come out sooner or later. You have to go calmly.
Q. Returning to the national team: this year the World Cup is in Canada. What do you think of the tours? It could suit you well, right?
R. Well, that’s over now (laughs). Now they have to adapt to the runners who come with me. It is a very tough World Cup. Maybe not as much as Rwanda, but it is 270 kilometers with a demanding route. We already saw very broken races in Canada and Montreal. With 270 kilometers, imagine. It’s going to be tough, but we have runners to do it well.
Q. Do you have names in mind for that World Cup?
R. Yes, but there is still a long way to go. The season has ups and downs, injuries… There is a base of runners, several from last year, but we have to leave them alone and we will talk about it when the time approaches.
MARCA, in the historic World Cup in Rwanda
P. Ayuso, by route, it seems that he has it marked.
A. It suits him very well and he is looking forward to it. Last year he was already at the top in a very demanding course. Perhaps by failing strategically it could have been closer.
Q. What objectives do you set as a coach in 2026?
R. Get a medal, both in the World Cup and in the European Championship. And don’t forget the time trial, where we have Iván Romeo, who is taking steps forward.
Q. How are you seeing Iván Romeo and the Movistar Team?
R. Very good. Here, if everything had gone normally, three of almost three stages would have been won. The first day he had a mechanical problem. Yesterday, if he hadn’t lost focus when getting off the bike, he would be fighting for the general classification. The only but is that: focus, get on quickly and continue, because you can gain laps.
Romeo? If he hadn’t lost focus when getting off the bike, he would be fighting for the general classification
Alejandro Valverde
Q. Can he be a future leader for the national team?
R. Completely. It goes very well in time trial and on hard routes, but not extreme, it can be there. It has a starter and adapts to everything.
