{"product_id":"9781474609753","title":"The Green Bullet : The rise, fall and resurrection of Alejandro Valverde and Spanish cycling’s corruption","description":"\u003cp\u003e Author(s): Rendell, Matt \u003cbr\u003e Binding: Paperback, \u003cbr\u003e Date of Publication: 05\/06\/2025,\u003cbr\u003e Pagination: 288 pages,\u003cbr\u003e ISBN13\\EAN\\SKU: 9781474609753,\u003cbr\u003e Description: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e*Shortlisted for Cycling Book of the Year at the Sports Book Awards 2024*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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A study of a dominant force, a true gentleman racer despite his shadowy past' Dan MartinAlejandro 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eValverde'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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEven today, Valverde maintains his reticence. The Green Bullet breaks the silence.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Griffin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55463860765045,"sku":"9781474609753","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0379\/1365\/7388\/files\/9781474609753.jpg?v=1749200197","url":"https:\/\/www.griffinbooksonline.co.uk\/products\/9781474609753","provider":"Griffin Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}