Valverde wants to come back for the Vuelta

By Antonio J. Salmerón

Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears rider Alejandro Valverde arrived at Valencia airport from Brussels today. He was then drive back home to Murcia accompanied by his wife, Ángela, and the Caisse d'Epargne manager, José Miguel Echávarri. Valverde was examined in Murcia's La Vega hospital, where Dr. José Luis Martínez Romero confirmed the broken collarbone diagnosis of the University Hospital in Maastricht.

Valverde gave permission to be operated on in order to come back to competition as soon as possible. "I am already thinking of my next competitions," said Valverde. Speaking after the end of the Tour's fourth stage in Saint Quentin, Valverde's director, Eusebio Únzue, agreed with José Miguel Echávarri: "We all know that Valverde wants very much to return to competition, but we need a certain guarantee of success before thinking of the Vuelta. Therefore, once recovered, we will have to study what is the most advisable competition."