A driver is set to stand trial accused of attempting to kill former World Champion Alejandro Valverde during a training ride.
The incident occurred in Murcia when the Spanish rider was training for the 2022 Vuelta a Espana. Deportivo Mundo report that the driver ran over Valverde and another rider with his car after a previous verbal altercation when overtaking the pair. Eyewitness accounts from the time of the crash said that the driver, 69, passed a trio of cyclists closely, leading to a remonstration between the group and the driver before the driver allegedly reversed into the cyclists.
Valverde’s Movistar team said at the time that he did not sustain any fractures or serious injuries, whilst the driver reportedly handed himself in to local police. Now, the prosecution say that Valverde’s injuries took around a month to recover from, whilst his training partner’s injuries took more than a year. In an Instagram post of himself scarred in a hospital bed, Valverde wrote “Luckily it was just a scare and I’m fine”
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The prosecution are pursuing three charges, two of attempted murder and one count of reckless driving. The charges, if proven, could bring a maximum sentence of more than 15 years in prison.
The driver’s defence lawyer says that the driver is a retired member of the Guardia Civil (Spanish police). Eduardo Romera also said that even under the prosecution’s interpretation of events, the offences would only equate to attempts to cause injury rather than homicide. The defence are also still reportedly open to negotiating a settlement to avoid a trial.
Valverde finished 13th overall at the 2022 Vuelta a Espana, the last Grand Tour in a long, illustrious career. Turning professional in 2002, he won his home Grand Tour in 2009, and the World Championships in 2018. He also won Liege-Bastogne-Liege four times, La Fleche Wallonne five times, and was ranked World No. 1 by the UCI. He was also implicated in the Operacion Puerto doping scandal and served a two-year doping ban.
After retiring from a professional career on the road, age 42, he turned to gravel racing, winning World Series events and finishing 4th in the Gravel World Championships in 2023. He was also appointed the coach of the Spanish men’s national team in January 2025, where he is responsible for selecting riders for World and European Championships.
6 thoughts on “Driver set to go on trial for alleged attempted murder of Alejandro Valverde in road rage incident”
The difference between reckless driving and attempted murder is the driver’s deliberate will and actions to harm cyclists. This high-profile case involving a former world champion and national icon in Spain looks like a good opportunity to set a precedent. Now let’s wait and see if the driver receives an actual jail sentence for their insane behaviour.
I would be amazed if its more than a slap on the wrist. Guys old and hey, its cyclists, they probably had it coming.
Looks like the difference is whether the cyclist is famous or not.
The Guardia Civil is NOT a police force. At best, it’s a paramilitary force and s hangover from Franco’s fascist regime.
Well, I agree it has extremely dubious antecedents but it is a police force run on military lines (rather than a military police force, which is concerned with military discipline) in the same way as many national police forces in Europe, e.g. Gendarmes in France and Carabinieri in Italy.
PS (please can we have the edit function back?) Although the force gained worldwide attention and notoriety during the fascist era it pre-dates Franco by nearly a century, founded 1844.