MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Movistar says Alejandro Valverde will be its lead rider in this year’s Tour de France, while Colombian Nairo Quintana will be top rider for the Giro d’Italia.
In a statement Tuesday the team says both riders will share leadership for the Spanish Vuelta.
Team manager Eusebio Unzue said Nairo was still too young to tackle the Tour and the team thought it best to “keep him growing into the formation.”
Unzue added that Valverde will ride in next week’s Dubai Tour for the first time, the team’s first incursion into the Middle East, he said.
He said 33-year-old Valverde, who won the 2009 Vuelta, would be “a solid leader” in the Tour and that both riders should be fully fit for season-ending Vuelta.
