Velominati Super Prestige: 2011 Eneco Tour
“The what Tour?” The question sounds less like a question and a bit more like an accusation. We’re sitting in Gianni’s home on Maui and I’ve just answered a query as to what I’m doing with a computer on my lap when the weather is too nice to justify such a thing.
Even a man as familiar with cycling as Gianni can be forgiven for not knowing the race by it’s new name, the Eneco Tour. The race used to be the Tour of the Netherlands and like the Amstel Gold Race, has enjoyed considerably more success than did the Eindhoven Team Time Trial which boasted a field of least one team each year it was held.
Originally the Tour of the Netherlands, the race now features a parcours through the Netherlands as well as Belgium. As far as preparation races go, it serves as a sort of bizarro preparation for the Vuelta, in the sense that racing in the lowlands would be good way to get ready for a mountainous Grand Tour. Never mind all that, we’re back racing in the VSP and we’re in Dutch-speaking country and I love it. I hope you enjoy lots of helpful translations of Dutch phrases you don’t care about (and probably didn’t hear) from yours truly, because that’s what you’ll be getting for a full week. And I hope you like the color orange.
With that we kick off into the last minor-stage VSP of 2011 for the Eneco Tour. Being a week-long stage race, the points on offer are 7 for first, 5 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth, with the usual allotment of bonus points for getting the rider right but the place wrong. Also, there are no rest days, so no rest day swaps, but we will have our usual approach for riders who drop out. And, all you Rule #5 apologists out there will be happy to know that we now officially have abolished the 10-minute rule. Piti Principle applies as always. Also review the guide, being careful to note that the rules have changes a bit this year, and we may not have completely updated the guide yet, so if there’s a question, ask.
Best of luck to all.
Get in Boss Hog! And a VSP podium on my birthday too. Unnaturally happy at this.
Woohooo…..Equal third (with 9 others) but hey…Equal Third…..
@Cyclops
Were you down there today as well Cyclops? Did you get to see Cadel?
@Collin
I was not down there today. I thought Cadel was in Australia.
@Cyclops
As did I. While watching the stage online however, they popped up a surprise message of “Cadel Evans @ Snowbird!” and then there was an interview with no audio. But he was there. Hopefully driving up Little Cottonwood Canyon made him realize how much he wants to ride up it (I don’t believe you can drive up it and then say, “bugger that, I’d never ride it”), and thus he’ll race ToU next year. One can hope.
@frank
Just got back from a weekend away and after getting the kids tucked up in bed, I snuck out for a short but intense sprint interval session in fading light. First time I’d been out on the bike in about three weeks due to a mechanical. Checked into to Velominati when I got back in to find this. The dark times are over. Praise the Cog.
I don’t think my wife really understood the enormity of the occasion “that’s nice dear…”
@Dr C
I may not yet be the proud owner of a grey sea urchin, but I will always have this!
@Collin
Nah, He’ll be busy riding up St Kilda Road in Melbourne with his second yellow jersey on.
@Xponti
++1 to that
@Cyclops
“Hey guys, look who it is!”
“Wow, lets see if we can get his autograph or a photo with him!”
“Nah, he’ll just say no!”
“You’re just shy, HTFU, I’m going to!”
“Hey. Mr Idaho State Champ, any chance of a photo?”
“Just this once George.”
“It’s for my mum, she’ll be so thrilled!”
@Chris
Yeah, see that jersey in his hand? I had just signed it for him.
@ cyclops:
BigGeorge: hey, cyclops, got any ‘masters’ hints on how to lead out or pull that last K at 55kph??
@Chris
I think the conversation continues:
George “I love the Velominati”
Cyclops “I know you do George, but you are aware of Rule #23, aren’t you?
George, (ashamed) Yes, but please don’t photograph my feet, cos the weather is indeed lovely and I’m wearing overshoes.
Cyclops, “Ok George, just this time I’ll let you off. HTFU.”
@wiscot
I think we really need to change Rule #23… George is pretty cool, to let Cyclops unzip his jersey like that.
Rule #23 is the equivalent of wearing socks while making love. In 99.5 per cent of cases it’s done by repressed Englishmen but every now and then someone exceptional gets a pass. Rule #23 wouldn’t exist if some of us weren’t massive fans of George, if Ricco wore em I bet dollars to donuts there would be no such rule.
@wiscot
@Minion
I put it to you that it is possible for a repressed Englishman can pull it off. Er, no, um, what I mean’t to say was, “Steady on old chap, that’s the harshest national slur I’ve come across on this site! Do you have a personal issue Englishmen in socks?”