Prosecutors in Spain are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for a man who reportedly struck Alejandro Valverde with his car in July 2022.
The driver is a retired Civil Guard officer intentionally drove into Valverde and his training partner. The driver is accused of two counts of attempted homicide and one count of reckless driving.
The incident was in Alcantarilla, Spain on 2 July 2022. Valverde was taken to hospital, but suffered “no fractures or serious injuries”. He could not race for several weeks.
Diaro AS reported the car driver initially fled the scene, but later turned himself in to the police.
El Español reported that the 69-year-old retired Civil Guard officer overtook Valvedre and his training partner without giving them the legally required 1.5m safety distance; once confronted by the cyclists, he then braked and reversed into them.
In 2022, the defendant denied this account in court – “I never reversed. As I left, I may have grazed two bicycles, but I never hit a person,” he said – and was released on bail pending further investigation.
His lawyer told Spanish news agency EFE that he denied accusations of attempted homicide. They hope to reach a settlement soon between the parties.
Valverde’s training partner took 412 days to recover from his injuries. He also suffered no fractures.
