Spanish Team Movistar captain Alejandro Valverde says his strong performance in the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under has relieved some of the pressure after returning from a two-year doping ban.

Valverde finished in the same overall time as winner Simon Gerrans (Team GreenEdge) only to lose on points, but believes his good form will help his preparations for the Tour de France and the 2012 London Olympics.

Valverde said on Wednesday that "I've returned better than expected" as "I've lost little or almost nothing compared to my last races before my break," adding that the Australian race "rid me of a lot of pressure."

Valverde was banned for two years from January 2010 after being implicated in Operation Puerto, a blood-doping scandal in Spain involving more than fifty riders.