The Green Bullet: The rise, fall and resurrection of Alejandro Valverde and Spanish cycling’s corruption

by Matt Rendell

New from award-winning author Matt Rendell, an 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 symbol of Spanish cycling for a quarter of a century before his retirement in 2022. Hard-working and supremely talented, he won the Vuelta a España and stood on the podium of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. World champion in 2018, he was also the world's number-one-ranked rider four times. A man of indisputable charisma, he was also a convicted doping cheat.

When the Spanish police investigation, Operación Puerto, uncovered a vast international blood doping ring, Valverde denied all involvement. The revelations unearthed by Operación Puerto threatened to force cycling off the road.

Valverde's long career was a high wire walk between the venal interests that surround elite sport in Spain. In a nation beset by corruption, political incompetence and social division, Valverde's talent aided the public image of unscrupulous political and economic institutions.

Even today, Valverde maintains his reticence. The Green Bullet breaks the silence.

Genres: Cycling

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2023

Reviews

[Nicci Morris]

I am a cycling fan who loves Matt Rendall's writing so was looking forward to reading The Green Bullet. The book doesn't really tell the reader very much about Valverde, which is disappointing, and in places goes into too much detail on results...however it it is a fascinating story of political and corporate corruption and it's impact on Spanish (and wider) cycling. Overall it felt disjointed and the ending seemed to be an attempt at shoehorning some very important issues in which really deserved their own arena.

[Frances Wheare]

This is a fascinating account of widespread corruption in Spanish sport and across the civil/corporate landscape. For me, the writing style was a little off-putting - huge, sometimes paragraph-long sentences with sub-clause after sub-clause made it somewhat impenetrable at times. The lists of races and sponsors, often presented without much context, were confusing even to a cycling fan like me, and the timeline jumps were also a little jarring. However the biggest disappointment - which is outside of Rendell's control, of course - was the lack of access to Valverde himself. Clearly this would have been a very different book if Rendell had been able to interview the eponymous Green Bullet. This is a painstaking - if often bewildering - presentation of the most scandalous era in modern cycling, but unfortunately it lacks depth and insight.

[Jason Taylor]

When Valverde has been doing well it has always made me feel uneasy. I knew that he’d always kept quiet around his doping. This book fills in more gaps. It starts off like it was written by a fan boy and I was dreading a puff piece, I’m pleased to say that it’s not that. The detail the author goes into with some of the investigation and level of corruption is fascinating. Whether you’re a Valverde fan or not, it’s well worth a read.

[James Walsh]

Hmm less a book about Valverde more a book about the murk of Spanish cycling. Sometimes the story loses itself in trying to explain the complex twist and turns of the underside of Spanish cycling team ownership, but there is a level of interest there. I’m torn to say it’s a 3.5 and we still await a deeper exploration into Valverde the cyclist, albeit that I’m not holding my breath.

[REINHARD HARTMANN]

Disappointed

I eventually gave up. Totally confusing, bouncing all over the place with details that nobody would really care about. At first I thought this was a manuscript, but scrolling further into the book, I realised that this is as good as it’s going to get. What an opportunity lost, to write about a great, although controversial cyclist.

[Paul Wright]

Interesting book using the career of Alejandro Valverde to highlight the difficulties Spain has had accepting doping is wrong. Also going through the legal cases I had heard of.

[I J]

Very good, very dry.

[Alex Hulst]

Over Valverde, maar ook over operacion Puerto, Fuentes en andere Spaanse schavuiten. Heerlijke toon

[Owen Wright]

Read like a textbook