Alejandro Valverde may or may not win the remaining stages of this year's Vuelta a España, but he will nonetheless leave the race with good memories of the grand send-off he received from local Murcia fans and organizers on Wednesday.

The first stage of this year's Vuelta to and from Murcia began in the rather unassuming surroundings of the El Pozo Alimentacion meat products plant, a massive concrete and glass building that dominates the skyline of the small industrial city of Alhama de Murcia.

But despite the lack of a picturesque backdrop and the scorching mid-summer morning, thousands of local fans made their way to the factory gates, even though they knew it was their last chance to see Valverde in action as a professional, with his retirement just around the corner.

Most fans lined up in the factory parking lot to secure the best view of Valverde's podium signing on the factory grounds. Others waited just outside the factory's main facility for the riders to assemble at the starting line for the neutral segment of the stage." Others held banners that read "Murcia has you in its heart" and displayed photos of Valverde punching his way across the finish line at the 2018 World Championships.

"It's an opportunity you can't miss," Javier, a local fan who tried (and failed) to access the team bus zone for the final "rose" sign, told Cycling News. Alejandro has been a star for us for many years and the Vuelta has been "his" race for a long time.

For Valverde, who still lives near Alhama de Murcia, the 59-km flat section and start through southern Murcia and into the Andalusia region crossed his usual training roads at home. More to the point, the Vuelta's brief entry into Murcia allowed the 2009 Vuelta winner, a seven-time Grand Tour podium finisher and 12-time stage winner, to participate in his final race on his home turf.

Just one day before the 2021 Vuelta arrived in Murcia, Wednesday's "tribute" stage set the record straight for Valverde after last year's abandonment due to a crash and multiple fractures.

For a variety of reasons, it was no surprise that when Valverde rode into the start area of El Pozo with his teammates shortly after noon, he was greeted with the loudest cheers by far. And when his name was called as the team lined up on stage, the crowd erupted in applause once again.

Local hosts and Vuelta organizers joined together to honor Valverde, and race director Javier Guillén joined the Spanish veteran on stage.

"I'm really happy to be here," Valverde commented to the master of ceremonies, repeating this message repeatedly to journalists in the mixed zone before high-fiving spectators on his way back to the team bus.

The Murcia-born Valverde was not the only one enjoying Wednesday's events.

"It's always great to race in your hometown, but to be with one of the best riders in history, to be his teammate, to be in the last Vuelta with him, gives me goosebumps," said one of the four riders from Murcia who competed in this year's Vuelta Movistar teammate José Joaquín Rojas told the official Vuelta website.

"I don't expect him to quit yet, but even good times have an end. I think today will be a nice tribute and he will have a great run in the time he has left in the Vuelta."

The team's teammate, José Joaquín Rojas, said.

Valverde then took up a position in the peloton and headed south to Andalusia. And in Madrid, he would further celebrate the 42-year-old's long career. But for Valverde, the start of the Vuelta at home in Murcia may be the most memorable.