Alejandro Valverde's long farewell as a professional cyclist finally comes to an end this weekend at Lombardia, but no matter the outcome, the Movistar veteran, who first competed in the Italian classic in 2003, says he will leave in the best way.

After finishing second in the Coppa Agostoni, fourth in the Giro delle Miglia with the support of teammate and winner Enric Mas, and third in the Tre Valli Varesine, Valverde was not at his best in the Vuelta a España, suffering a hit-and-run accident and poor health However, the 42-year-old Valverde is showing signs of improvement in the final week of the race.

Valverde has already finished second three times at Il Lombardia and fifth last year. But as he told reporters earlier this week in a general review of his career, "Finishing on the podium of the (2015) Tour feels like winning. I ended up settling for winning the (2018) World Championships."

Explaining his decision to finish the race at Il Lombardia rather than ending it all at the Vuelta a España, the most iconic Grand Tour of his career, Valverde said that the Italian monument "is almost always my last race and I like it very much I like it very much," he noted. I have been on the podium many times, and if I look at how I am doing this year, why can't I win?"

Valverde noted.

Valverde explained that the last Vuelta a España, the most illustrious Grand Tour of his career, was a series of hardships due to an accident and the flu. But after a week's rest after paying tribute to Valverde in Madrid on the last day of the race, he said he has now found "the real form I have had for a while."

The perennial question of whether Valverde would be willing to continue for another year, given his current peak condition, was not absent from his final press conference as an active player. But Valverde, who has already had a 30-year career, admitted that the idea of continuing to race in 2023 had crossed his mind.

"I want to leave the sport feeling as good as I do now. Even if I can't do anything on Saturday, things have been going well lately."

He said his strategy for Saturday's final battle could involve some sort of two-pronged assault on victory, given that Enric Mas is clearly in good form. But either way, he said, "I'm finishing the cycling season in the best shape I've ever been in. Rarely have I been in better condition than I am right now."

He added that he is "very happy with the way things are going.

Valverde concluded about his retirement, "It's not for me to say." But I can say that they [Spanish fans] have lost a great rider who did his utmost to bring joy from the sport to the public, the team, and the players themselves." After battling for his fifth career monument and 134th professional victory, Valverde has yet to decide on his post-race future.