In recent days Canyon has announced with justified pride the signing of a long-term collaboration agreement with the former professional Alejandro Valverde. We can certainly consider this agreement as the natural evolution of a collaboration, the one between the German brand and the Spanish champion, which has lasted for 11 years. It was in 2014 when the Movistar team, of which Valverde was the undisputed star, began its technical partnership with Canyon.
The best with Canyon
In over twenty years of professional cycling, Valverde has won a world championship, a Vuelta a España, five Flèche Wallonne titles, and four Liège-Bastogne-Liège titles. In the second half of his career, the one with his most prestigious successes, the Murcian competed on Canyon bicycles, particularly the models Aeroad e Ultimate. 62 of his 133 victories came aboard a Canyon.
After finishing his career as a professional cyclist, Valverde he did not put aside his competitive spirit by moving on to gravel, also obtaining truly prestigious results here. In the last three years, there have been four UCI Gravel World Series race victories.Meanwhile, he also received the role of coach of the Spanish national road cycling team, confirming that we are dealing with a champion who doesn't like to sit still.
Super tester
Throughout his remarkable career, Valverde has been in regular contact with Canyon's research and development teams, providing them with important feedback for the development of new models. This collaboration has continued over the last three years, involving the gravel world..
Nicolas de Ros Wallace, CEO of Canyon, commented on the agreement reached with the Spanish champion: «Valverde is not only one of the most inspiring cyclists of his generation, but his constant pursuit of victory reflects the performance-oriented mentality we have at Canyon».
Here are the first statements from Valverde himself: «After more than a decade of collaboration with Canyon, I have seen firsthand how they commit themselves to developing bikes capable of winning races at the highest level. Canyon is fully in line with my way of understanding this sport, both as an athlete and now in my new role as a coach. I am convinced that we can continue to build our tradition together.».
In the next few days Valverde will be competing in the gravel race The Traka in Girona, Spain. Italian enthusiasts will soon have the opportunity to admire it live at Nove Colli scheduled for next May 18th, a sign that the call of the road is always strong.
