Alejandro Valverde will be 41 years old next year when the postponed Tokyo Olympics take place, but he has admitted to targeting the 2021 Games, the final season of his contract with Movistar.

He had made the men's road race in Tokyo the centerpiece of his 2020 season, but a coronavirus outbreak has postponed the event until next year. [Valverde said in a video message (opens in new tab) on Wednesday, "Of course, I will be 41 years old then and everything will be more difficult. In 2021, I will be in the race. If the national coach chooses me, I will compete in the Olympics and give my best."

Valverde, the 2018 world champion and a six-time medalist, has never had Olympic success. He has competed in road races in Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio, with his best finish being 12th in 2008. [The postponement of the Olympics was inevitable. It was made more complicated by the fact that "no one could train properly.

The Covid-19 outbreak suspended all racing and postponed the spring classics and the Giro d'Italia. It is unclear when competition will resume, but Valverde said that if the Tour de France is held, that will be his goal.

Valverde had previously indicated that he planned to use the Tour as preparation for the Tokyo Olympics and that the race could be cut short early due to the five-day gap between the final stage in Paris and the Japanese men's road race.

"Obviously plans have changed," Valverde said. "If I could go to the Tour, it would be a completely different approach. In the Tour de France, I will give it my all, 100%, with a strong team of Enric (Mas) and Marc (Soler). I will be on full throttle in the Tour de France and in all the races at the end of the season."

The racing hiatus may also affect Valverde's long-term plans. Valverde recently announced his intention to retire at the end of 2021. Valverde has been a professional player since 2002, but was forced to take an 18-month break in 2010 and 2011 due to his involvement in the Operacion Puerto blood doping scandal.

"With this suspension, I don't know if I will extend my contract, but I will run the full season in 2021," Valverde said. 'After that I will remain part of Abarca [the holding company for the Movistar team].'

Spain is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and the country has been on lockdown for the past 10 days. Unlike other countries, professional players are not allowed to train outdoors. Valverde has been riding on a turbo trainer for the past 10 days and stressed the importance of following government measures to stop the spread of covid19.

"The first thing everybody does is stay home. Do not go out unless you need to. Going to the pharmacy or the grocery store is necessary. But other than that, we stay home and enjoy family time," Valverde said. Valverde said, "We will get through this together and when this is over we will enjoy more freedom."