The Spanish veteran Cyclist Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) showed a clean pair of pedals at the Tour of Murcia on Saturday when he raced to his fifth win on home soil.
The 36 year old native of the city broke clear with 60 kilometres of the 182.7km stage to win in 4hrs 03mins 08secs from Colombian Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha), 2mins 10secs back in second and Austria’s Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe) third.
Valverde had won at La Vuelta a Murcia on four previous occasions in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2014 and the win sets him up nicely as he goes head-to-head with Alberto Contador at the Ruta del Sol in Andalusia this coming week
Valverde got away from the pack more than 60 kilometers from the finish and never really looked under any threat. Colombian Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha-Alpecin) took second (+2:10) directly in front of the Austrian Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe).
The one-day, 182.7km Spanish classic from San Javier to Murcia featured three categorized climbs, including the Category 1 Alto Collado Bermejo (1,200m), which was first revealed at the Vuelta a España.
