Alejandro Valverde has suffered injuries after reportedly crashing into a barrier during a training ride, and says that he can 'barely move at the moment'.
In a statement issued by his Movistar team on Wednesday evening, Valverde said that he had injured his arm and chest in the incident.
>>> Alejandro Valverde says he won’t ride all three Grand Tours again in 2017
"It was a really hard blow," Valverde said. "The barriers of the housing estate went down before I was through, and I hit [it] straight with my arms and chest.
"I tried to continue with my ride, but I could carry on for only 30 more minutes, because it really hurt."
The 36-year-old Spaniard said that he is treating in the injury with ice to try and keep the inflammation to a minimum.
"I'm putting some ice on the areas and anti-inflammatories should prevent the injury from going any further, but it could get worse tomorrow when the areas start to heal in cold.
"Happily, it seems like it's all a muscle thing, but to be honest, I can barely move at the moment."
The team says that a decision regarding Valverde's presence at today's Vuelta a España route presentation would be made prior to the event.
Last year, Valverde won La Fleche Wallonne for a third consecutive time, a stage of the Giro d'Italia and third overall, and overall victories in the Vuelta a Andalucia and Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. He also supported Colombian team-mate Nairo Quintana to third place in the Tour de France and victory in the Vuelta a España.
Valverde himself won the Vuelta a España in 2009. Last year was the first time that Valverde has ridden all three Grand Tours in the same season, and his first outing in the Giro.
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