The Green Bullet: The rise, fall and resurrection of Alejandro Valverde (Hardback)

From award‑winning author Matt Rendell comes The Green Bullet — a gripping deep‑dive into the rise, brilliance and controversy of Alejandro Valverde, one of the most talented and divisive riders in modern cycling.

For 25 years, Valverde was the face of Spanish cycling: a relentless racer with huge charisma, a Vuelta a España champion, a podium regular at the Giro and the Tour, and the 2018 World Champion. He topped the world rankings four times and became a national icon. But behind the victories sat a shadow he could never quite outrun.

When Operación Puerto exposed a vast blood‑doping network, Valverde denied involvement — even as the evidence mounted. His career became a balancing act between extraordinary athletic ability and the murky politics, corruption and power struggles that shaped elite sport in Spain. In a country wrestling with its own scandals and divisions, Valverde’s success became a convenient symbol for institutions desperate for good news.

Rendell peels back the layers with forensic detail and a storyteller’s touch, revealing the pressures, compromises and moral grey zones that defined Valverde’s long career. For the first time, the silence breaks — and the full story of the Green Bullet comes into focus.