Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) said that he has no regrets about his successful career as a professional cyclist, despite his doping ban related to the Spanish investigation dubbed Operación Puerto. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS, the world champion reminded that he served his penalty but added that he had never produced a positive test. "I don't think it's a question of whether or not I have anything to regret," Valverde told AS following his victory at Saitama Criterium held in Japan on Sunday. Valverde's name had been linked to one of the blood bags seized from doctor Eufemiano Fuentes offices during the Operación Puerto police raid in 2006, but he was initially cleared by a Spanish judge in 2007. The following year, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) matched a DNA sample taken from Valverde at the 2008 Tour de France to some of the seized blood evidence, and they banned Valverde from competing in Italy.ADVERTISEMENT A long battle between Valverde and the UCI ended with the Spaniard receiving a back-dated two-year ban in 2010 that ran through to the end of 2011. "I never tested positive, but it was decided that I must be sanctioned, and so it was," Valverde said. "I served my sentence and since then the only thing that has concerned me is enjoying cycling. "Anyone can judge me as they see fit. But they should be aware that I've done everything possible to show that I not only won races before, but after coming back from my ban I have been even better." Goals for the Giro d'Italia in 2019
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