Alejandro Valverde agrees to 3-year deal to stay with Movistar team

Published Sep. 18, 2014 12:08 a.m. ET

foxsports

Alejandro Valverde has agreed to a new contract with Movistar that will keep the Spanish rider on the team for the next three years.

The 34-year-old Valverde has raced for Movistar during nine of his 12 years as a professional.

This season, Valverde finished the Tour de France in fourth place and the Spanish Vuelta in third.

Valverde won the Vuelta in 2009.

He says, ''I wanted to keep wearing these colors ... I feel better than when I was 25. Seasons seem shorter to me because I'm able to cope with pressure better.''

Movistar also has Nairo Quintana, the Giro d'Italia winner and the 2013 Tour runner-up.