Valverde said at his official presentation with Team Movistar earler today that he "trained hard and ... did things right" during his time away from competition.

"I am ready to start again from scratch," Valverde added and continued "We are beginning a new era with Movistar, which has given me the chance to compete with the best in cycling."

The 31-year-old Valverde was stripped of his number 1 world ranking and banned for two years from January 2010 after being implicated in Operation Puerto, a blood-doping ring in Spain involving more than fifty riders.

Although he never tested positive for a banned drug, Valverde reportedly was linked to the doping ring by DNA evidence seized in police raids in 2006.

Valverde said he is not worried about the reception awaiting him from both the public and the peloton.

"It isn't something that concerns me. I was under scrutiny for a long time, but now I am calm because I have complied with everything they wanted," he said. "Before, I raced in France and in many other places and I was always loved by fans and my fellow riders."

Valverde's first race back will be Australia's Tour Down Under, which starts Jan. 22, the opening event of cycling's 2012 ProTour.

"I am a little afraid to see how I will respond by the end of race," said Valverde, the 2009 Spanish Vuelta winner. "If my stamina is lacking, I will recover it little by little, but at least I will arrive well-rested."

Valverde will lead a Movistar team that recently signed 2011 Vuelta winner Juan Jose Cobo.