Tadej Valjavec
Key Stats
Nationality: Slovenian
Born: April 13, 1977
Hometown: Kranj, Slovenia
Height: 5-foot-6
Weight: 126 pounds
Strengths: climbing, attacking
Turned Pro: 2000
Palmares
2007
2nd overall, Vuelta a Valenciana
3rd overall, Ruta del Sol
4th overall, Paris-Nice
7th overall, Tour of the Basque Country
9th overall, Dauphiné Libéré
10th, Flèche-Wallone
2005
6th overall, Deutschland Tour
9th overall, Tour de Suisse
10th overall, Tour de Romandie
2004
4th overall, Tour de Romandie
9th overall, Giro d’Italia
2003
1st, Slovenian road championship
2002
1st, Settimana Clasica Lombarda
Biography
The best Slovenian rider of his generation, Valjavec has been close to some big time results thanks to his consistency and depth. His resume is littered with top 10s in Europe’s biggest races. A strong climber with a nose for a winning move, he can do nicely in punchy summit finishes. With the departure of Christophe Moreau, Valjavec will assume more responsibility as one of the team’s top men for the GC. This could be his year to make a name for himself.