Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) will make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics his main goal for next season. Valverde, a former world champion, has already announced that he will compete in next year's Tour de France, but his main goal is to prepare for the Olympic road race, which will be held just six days after the Tour ends in Paris. [Valverde told Movistar's team presentation on Thursday that "the goal is to do well in the classic races, to do well in the Vuelta a España and the World Championships, and above all, because it is an Olympic year, I want to be at 100% for the competition." AS (opens in new tab) reported.

Valverde has competed in every Olympics since Athens in 2004, with his best finish coming four years later in Beijing, where he finished 12th in a race won by compatriot Samuel Sanchez. when the 2020 Olympic road race takes place on July 25, he will He will be 40 years old.

2020 will be a year of big changes for Movistar, with Nairo Quintana moving to Arkea-Samsic and Mikel Landa to Bahrain McLaren; Enric Mas, who finished second in the 2018 Vuelta, will lead Movistar's GC challenge in the Tour de France signed a deal to do so, and 2018 Paris-Nice winner Marc Soler is also expected to step up in the three-week race.

"Marc has to make the leap and has shown he can do it," Valverde said. 'Enric has already proven that at the Vuelta. But he still has to make further strides.

"This is a year of many changes between material and teammates, many young players. It will be a good year and a learning year.

In the past two seasons, Valverde, along with Quintana and Landa, have been in the Tour, but Movistar's prized "trident" never met its sum total; in 2019, the trio finished ninth, seventh, and sixth, respectively, in the overall standings.

"A good atmosphere is important, and if you have unity, that's your strength," Valverde said. 'If you get along off the bike, the results are tangible.'