Alejandro Valverde wins GP Miguel Indurain

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) claimed his first victory in 18 months at the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain, going clear on the steep Ibarra 'wall' to collect a record-equalling third title at the one-day race.

The 40-year-old, winner of more than 100 races, hadn't raised his arms since the 2019 Vuelta a España and the relief was palpable as he provided his team's first win of the season in their home region of Navarre and showed there's still life in his own career yet.

Valverde convincingly dropped the Astana duo of Alexey Lutsenko and Luis Leon Sanchez on the late Ibarra climb - 600 metres at 11 per cent - before safely negotiating the equally steep descent to the line.

"This victory is for everyone who has supported me. I'm super happy," Valverde said.

"Thanks to team. It was a complicated one but we tried to control the race from the start and we were able to come away with the win."

Valverde first hit out on the Alto de Eraul - 3.8km at 5.5 per cent - with 10km to do, quickly blowing apart a peloton that still counted 40 members. He accelerated again on the narrow streets at the top of the climb to get across to Sánchez, the last survivor from an earlier move.

Sánchez didn't work with him, since he had teammates Lutsenko and Omar Fraile in what became a 10-man chase group. Lutsenko attacked from it on the Alto de Muru - 1.3km at 4 per cent - but looked to have failed in his efforts when Valverde issued another vicious acceleration just as the Kazakh champion was on the verge of making contact. However, on the descent, Lutsenko did get there, and indeed flew past the Spanish duo to hit the Ibarra wall at full tilt.

The trio soon came back together and it wasn't long before Valverde - a five-time winner of La Flèche Wallonne - made the difference on the punishingly steep gradients.

Lutsenko crossed the line in second place at six seconds, followed by his teammate Sanchez 11 seconds later.

"Astana were one of the strongest teams - we knew that," Valverde said. "Obviously I was worried at the end there. Both of them are very very strong and I knew it would be complicated. Lutsenko went past very fast but we got back on and I was able to put in the final attack."

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Elie Gesbert (Arkea-Samsic), Krists Neilands (Israel Start-Up Nation), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis), and Fraile were all part of that chase group and finished 20 seconds down. Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers), who responded to Valverde's first acceleration on the Eraul, lost a little ground on Ibarra but still rounded out the top 10.