The years have passed, and Alejandro Valverde, now in his fifth year, remains an immortal presence in the Vuelta a España, and the 40-year-old Movistar veteran has warned fans that the rules of the game have changed this fall.

The coronavirus outbreak, or as Valverde euphemistically described it, "the way things are now," the possible effects on the Vuelta, the weather changes due to the schedule change, and the exceptionally difficult first week with the removal of the Dutch stage, all combine to make the Vuelta "like a classic was the best way to race the race "as if it were a series of classics.

"It's a very tough Vuelta, and you can lose from day one.

"I don't know how far we can go given the weather and the situation we are in. So we have to treat each race as if every day is a series of classics and do our best in each one."

Apart from the climate and COVID-19 issues, as Valverde and teammate Enric Mas pointed out at Monday's press conference, the 2020 Tour de France will be as tough as last year's Tour de France.

However, when asked if they would have preferred a less star-studded Giro d'Italia, Valverde, Mas, and teammate Marc Soler said they were happy to be where they are, not in Italy.

"Even if some of the leaders retire, the Giro is very fast and very hard," he said.

"I was thinking about riding the Giro, but now I'm concentrating on the Vuelta," Soler added.

"Having a hard start here will ease my nerves, and once the GC is sorted out a bit, I won't be as nervous as I was at the Tour."

Mass, who finished fifth in the Tour de France, noted that "in France, I got better as I went along," as to what he hopes to accomplish in such exceptional circumstances.

"You have to keep your feet on the ground and the competitors here are almost the same, so let's see what happens. I want to start better in the Vuelta than I did in the Tour, top five is not great, I want to be in the top three and on the 'box' (winner's podium)."

The always jovial Valverde added: "Even if only one of us wins, I want to be on the podium. Even if only one of us wins, we need to go into the competition confident that we can win."

The team's first match was in the semi-finals of the championship.

Valverde said he has a chance to beat Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma), as he beat the Slovenian Primoš Roglic in last year's Vuelta.

"It's possible. I just hope he is a little worse than he was in the Tour, and I don't have to hope he is a little better. If he gets a little bit better, it will be impossible to beat him."

The 2020 Vuelta a España will be different from previous years due to weather, dates, pandemics, and opponents. But another major change is that, for the first time in Vuelta history, the Vuelta organization is actively encouraging fans to watch the race on television from their living rooms at home, rather than encouraging them to watch from the roadside.

"It's especially strange here in the Basque Country," says Soler, "when the races have always attracted spectators, even at the amateur level. 'It's complicated and strange, but that's the reality.'

"Me and Enric are on the same page," Valverde said. 'This year it's all about watching the race from home, but things will change again down the road.'

But publicity or not, Valverde will continue to fight in the 2020 Vuelta, as he has done since 2002.