Velominati Super Prestige: Strade Bianche 2012
The Monte Paschi Strade Bianchi is happening this Saturday and it is such an interesting race we are putting it into the VSP. The route is a mix of pavement and white marble sectors that roam through the hilly Tuscan country and finishes in the middle of beautiful Sienna. It seems early to me but that is because the Giro had an epic stage on the Strade Bianche in May 2010. The word epic is overused but the wet, grimy Giro stage was compelling, awesome, everything you would want in a race. It was epic.
This race grew out of the immensely popular Eroica retro-sportive. Goggles, mustaches, heavy old bikes, I don’t understand it. It must be like the Civil War enactments in the USA: people are compelled to recreate something, and participate in it to understand it. I’m never going to participate in the Eroica sportive, so I’m never going to understand it. Sweet Merckx a mighty, I’m old enough to never want to ride a bike with a five speed Regina cluster again. Give me Campa 11 with electronic shifting if you must, I’m riding into the future.
Phillipe Gilbert started his reign of terror in 2011 by winning the Strade Bianche and he never stopped. I would not want to bet against him and yet, perhaps he is saving himself for a month from now. His team is stacked with possible winners (a phrase we are going to be over-using this year). Judging from past results the Italians have not had any home road advantage but if Vinny “da shark” Nibali can ride away from everyone in Oman, surely he can do it here. This year’s incomplete start list includes past winners, potential Spring Classic stars and Mark Cavendish. Did I imagine this, the World Champion on the crushed marble roads of Tuscany? Please stay tuned for a more accurate start list.
I will stop further skewing the odds at Lotto, they are all winners aren’t they? Put on your aluminum foil thinking caps, consult the awesome countdown timer which will stop on Saturday morning and be thankful there is not a women’s edition of this race to show the world how little you all know about women’s racing (@cyclops excluded somehow).
I just can’t stop myself from including a bit of wet strade from the Giro.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0jCHawi9II[/youtube]
Sweet. Winner and a bonus for Iglinsky. That’ll do me for the guess-fest that it was.
I’d like to thank Fabio for removing all the drama. It must be nice to break away without even getting out of the saddle
@Skinnyphat
Steady up with more speed!
time for bed said zeberdee
@Skinnyphat
The Drama is in what this may mean for the rest of spring. Boonen in form, Canc in form…
Missed the whole thing. Woke up to Motorcus rolling over the line alone in the picture and Gobbles finishing in the middle of the bunch. Wish I coulda seen the fireworks. *sigh*
On the other hand, @Ankush and @wiscot drilled it. Congrats!
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This is going to be the best spring ever, with some luck.
Very tight standings in the GC with the top V being separated by two points.
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Well that f’n sucks. Still, it’s early……
Oh damn, I missed my chance for an early lead. Top-5 for now, but I think I’ll be down a few places next race.
@Frank
How do I get my disputed 3pts (4th place) from the women’s Omloop? That will put me dangerously close to the top…
@Skinnyphat
Did you click the dispute link next to the ones you disagree with?
@scaler911
Its because you changed your avatar right before a big race.
@frank
Yes I did. Not sure what was supposed to happen. Let me try it again, may have been user error
@Skinnyphat
I think we just forgot to update the results after correcting your pick. I updated them now, so have a look and let me know if its better now.
So, FAIL to BMC for managing to get two riders into the final six, but then placing fourth and fifth? I’m willing to let them off the hook for not finishing first (under Cancellarian circumstances), but shouldn’t they at least have got on the podium? Terrific riding by Gatto, by the way.
@nico likewsie. I should get a bonus point for calling Iglinsky
@frank: when you have a moment, like you have nothing else to do, can you look at my scoring. somewhere things don’t add up
+1 Steampunk!
Ballan needs to be able to read a route, he blew it at the end by getting off course and dropped off for a while
VanAvermaet rode his guts out for nothing, Ballan
@jarvis and nico, nice pick on iglisky, he rode very well
But Spartacus was a stud today
can you say motordope II
@Steampunk
Agreed. Read something last week (can’t remember where, unfortunately) that compared the fates of Garmin and BMC thus far and noted how Garmin has achieved better despite “inferior” talent and speculated it’s because BMC has no chemistry/needs to work on their teamwork. Granted, it’s very early in the season, but I would have expected more from them thus far – especially in a situation where you have 2 strong riders in a break of 6 and you end up 4/5.
@Souleur & @Nosyt:
Ballan seemed to have caught back on without much trouble after his gaffe, so I wouldn’t be inclined to blame this for the failure (can’t have helped, mind). There also seemed to be a few technical turns in the final run-in (even Cancellara on his own had a bit of difficulty). I suspect the real test of BMC will come at Flanders and Roubaix, when Gilbert and Hushovd (respectively) will need to prove why they were added to the team. Chemistry, perhaps, but Avermaet and Ballan can’t have that excuse, since they were together last year.
Watching Spartacus, though, does anyone else get the unsettling feeling that he’s still a little pissed about last spring, and has 3/17, 4/1, AND 4/8 all circled on his calendar? And can you imagine what the aftermath of that would be like? Philippe who?
I am pretty disappointed in Gilbert. I thought long and hard about whether I should pick Cancellara or Gilbert to win… guess I should have reversed the order. I think a trip to Italy for next year’s race would be a fantastic Keeper’s Tour…
@Steampunk
Definitely; and I think the strength of BMC will actually favor him since teams won’t be able to focus on him solely like they did last spring. If he rides smart (like today) and finds himself in the mix in the final 20K or so I don’t think there’s anyone who can touch him.
@Steampunk BMC fucked-up again. No way should they have attacked Cancellara where they did. In a way it is good that they are willing to take the fight, but Van Avermaet and Ballan are not Gilbert and aren’t going to outpower Canc.
@Nico didn’t realise you’d gone with Iglinsky as well. Think that was his third podium at the race.
@Jarvis
I assumed that Van Avermaet was sacrificing himself for Ballan, who then couldn’t keep Cancellara’s wheel. It seemed like the right move (maybe not the right time, but probably the last chance to create some real separation), but Cancellara countered brilliantly. Van Avermaet didn’t gain as much ground as he wanted, and Ballan was nowhere to be seen when Cancellara attacked.
@Steampunk
I can see Cancellara trying to break away in the AGR as well, just to show that he alone and no one else is champion of the spring.
Seriously, a Cancellara this strong is someone to watch in every race.
@frank
Hate to Ron but I had Cance and Gatto in – doesnt that give me 2?
@frank
Ya, but it’s early in the season, and I’m still in the hunt. That said if Paris- NIce doesn’t work out for me, I’m going back.
@frank
Shouldn’t I have more then 2 points from the day? I had Gatto in third, and had Ballan and Cancellara in my picks. That should be 6 points I thought
Caught the last 12kms on steephill on Saturday am. What a great race! We live in an age when too many things are dubbed classics when they don’t deserve the name (golf being a prime offender in this regard), but with the Strade Bianche I think the organizers have come up with a unique and beautiful event. The parcours, the finish all harken back to an older age and while it’s only 6 years old, I think it has taken a greater prominence than say Paris=Tours, Het Whatever, San Sebastian. It might take a few years, but if they ever add another monument, this is the one to add.
One thing I’d like to see though is a great trophy. P-R has its cobblestone, but I was disappointed to see the podium guys get silver platters. This is a race that calls for a big fuckin’ silver trophy. Old school style. Over the top.
One last thing, while we revere our riders of years gone bye, let’s be aware that we are seeing racing by modern masters: Gilbert, Cancellara, Boonen. These are men whose names will go down in the history books as all time-greats.