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The green bullet
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- Book Synopsis
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Shortlisted for Cycling Book of the Year at the Sports Book Awards 2024
From award-winning author Matt Rendell comes a gripping examination of the phenomenal success of Alejandro Valverde and the moral decay at the heart of Spanish cycling.
"A study of a dominant force, a true gentleman racer despite his shadowy past."
— Dan Martin
Alejandro Valverde — the Green Bullet — was an international icon of Spanish cycling for a quarter of a century before retiring in 2022. Hard-working and supremely talented, he won the Vuelta a España and stood on the podium at both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. In 2018, he became world champion and was ranked the world’s number-one rider four times.
Charismatic and driven, Valverde was also a convicted doping cheat. When Operación Puerto, a sweeping Spanish police investigation, uncovered a vast international blood doping ring, Valverde denied any involvement.
The revelations from Operación Puerto shook the cycling world to its core and threatened the very future of the sport. Valverde’s long and decorated career was a tightrope walk amid the murky interests surrounding elite sport in Spain.
In a country plagued by corruption, political mismanagement, and social division, Valverde’s brilliance became a convenient symbol for questionable institutions. Even today, he maintains a guarded silence.
The Green Bullet breaks that silence—offering an unflinching exploration of a sport, a man, and a nation under pressure.
- About The Author
- Matt Rendell is an award-winning author and journalist. He is a member of ITV's presentation team at the Tour de France and, as a translator, reporter, commentator and podcaster, he has contributed to British Tour coverage for over 25 years. He created the Real Peloton podcast and hosted ITV's Tour de France podcast. He has written for the Observer, New Statesman, Guardian and Financial Times, as well as the principal cycling magazines and websites. His many books include The Death of Marco Pantani and Colombia Es Pasión! When not writing, he leads cycle tours in Europe and Colombia. Contact him on Twitter @mrendell.
- Product Details
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- ISBN
- 9781474609753
- Format
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Seven Dials, (05 June 2025)
- Number of Pages
- 288
- Weight
- 261 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 196 x 128 x 34 mm
- Categories: