Velominati Super Prestige
The Velominati Super Prestige is a season-long competition wherein readers will be submitting their predictions for the top five finishers of each qualifying race. In order to qualify, your picks via the VSP Picks form above the posts section of the VSP Event article pertaining to the race in question by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight on the day of the race start. These articles are clearly marked and are generally posted at least 72 hours in advance of each event. The current leader of the competition has the honor of posting on the site bearing the VSP Leader’s badge; winners of select races (the monuments and Grand Tours) similarly gain the honor of posting with a dedicated badge for the remainder of the year. Prizes may be given for key events; these prizes will be announced on the associated VSP Event. Points will be tallied as the season progresses and the winner will be announced after Paris-Tours. Prizes to be determined.
Scoring (One-Day Races)
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings of each race by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on the day of the race. Regular Points Points will be scored in reverse order of finishing order: 7 points for first place, 5 points for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, and 2 for fifth. Readers will also earn 1 bonus point for every other rider named in the top five, regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice. Tie Breaking In the event of a tie, the first reader to submit their predictions will be named the winner.
Scoring (Grand Tours)
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings on General Classification of each Grand Tour by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on the day of the first stage or prologue. Points Points will be scored as follows based on the final G.C of the race: 20 points for first place, 15 for second, 10 for third, 7 for fourth, and 5 for fifth; plus 3 points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice. Changing of the Picks* Contestants are allowed to make line up changes on one of the rest days of the Grand Tours but not both. These changes will come with a point penalty. You will be allotted one (1) rest day to make swaps in grand tours; you may pick either the first or second rest day. The penalties for swapping will be lower for the first rest day than the second. This will allow you to swap out a rider(s) who gets caught in some first week nervousness with a 5 point penalty for each swap. Or make some go for broke/doomed to fail break-away swap on the second rest day for a 10 point penalty for each swap. That’s it. You make one swap or five on either rest day for the corresponding 5 or 10 point penalty per swap. Additionally, if one of your riders crashes out, DNF’s, or DNS’s, you may swap them out on a rest day with corresponding penalties if you haven’t already used up your one rest day swap. Tie Breaking In the event of a tie, the first reader to submit their predictions will be named the winner. Minor Stages We will be posting VSP’s for minor stages as well. Scoring is similar to one-day racing, except no bonus points are in play for getting the rider in the wrong placing.
Scoring (Minor Stage Races)
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings on General Classification of each Minor Stage Race (less than three weeks) by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on the day of the first stage or prologue. Regular Points Points will be scored in reverse order of finishing order: 10 points for first place, 8 for second, 7 for third, 5 for fourth, and 3 for fifth; plus two bonus points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice. Tie Breaking In the event of a tie, the first reader to submit their predictions will be named the winner.
Posting Badges
The following badges will be worn by current leaders of the competition and sub-competitions:
| Overall Super Prestige Leader: |  |
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| Milano Sanremo: |  |
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| VVomen’s Ronde van Vlaanderen: |  |
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| Men’s Ronde van Vlaanderen: |  |
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| Paris-Roubaix: |  |
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| Leige-Bastogne-Liege: |  |
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| Giro d’Italia Leader: |  |
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| Giro Rosa Leader: |  |
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| Tour de France Leader: |  |
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| Vuelta a Espana Leader: |  |
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| Giro di Lombardia: |  |
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| Overal Super Prestige Lanterne Rouge: |  |
2016 Velominati Super Prestige Schedule
Les Hommes
Start |
End |
Event |
Race Website |
| 18.03.2017 | 18.03.2017 | Milano-Sanremo | www.milanosanremo.it |
| 26.03.2017 | 26.03.2017 | Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields | www.gent-wevelgem.be |
| 02.04.2017 | 02.04.2017 | Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres | www.flandersclassics.be |
| 09.04.2017 | 09.04.2017 | Paris-Roubaix | www.letour.fr |
| 16.04.2017 | 16.04.2017 | Amstel Gold Race | www.amstelgoldrace.nl |
| 19.04.2017 | 19.04.2017 | La Flèche Wallonne | www.letour.fr |
| 23.04.2017 | 23.04.2017 | Liège-Bastogne-Liège | www.letour.fr |
| 05.05.2017 | 28.05.2017 | Giro d’Italia | www.giroditalia.it |
| 04.06.2017 | 11.06.2017 | Critérium du Dauphiné | www.letour.fr |
| 10.06.2017 | 18.06.2017 | Tour de Suisse | www.tds.ch |
| 01.07.2017 | 23.07.2017 | Tour de France | www.letour.fr |
| 29.07.2017 | 29.07.2017 | Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian | www.klasikoa.net |
| 19.08.2017 | 10.09.2017 | La Vuelta ciclista a España | lavuelta.com |
| 08.09.2017 | 08.09.2017 | Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec | www.gpcqm.ca |
| 10.09.2017 | 10.09.2017 | Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal | www.gpcqm.ca |
| 20.09.2017 | 20.09.2017 | Mens World Championship Time Trial | |
| 24.09.2017 | 24.09.2017 | Mens World Championship Road Race | |
| 07.10.2017 | 07.10.2017 | Il Lombardia | www.illombardia.it |
La Femmes
Start |
End |
Event |
Race Website |
| 26.03.2017 | 26.03.2017 | Gent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields | www.gent-wevelgem.be |
| 02.04.2017 | 02.04.2017 | Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres | www.flandersclassics.be |
| 16.04.2017 | 16.04.2017 | Amstel Gold Race | info@amstelgoldrace.nl |
| 19.04.2017 | 19.04.2017 | La Flèche Wallonne Féminine | www.letour.fr |
| 23.04.2017 | 23.04.2017 | Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes | www.letour.fr et www.pesantliege.be |
| 30.06.2017 | 09.07.2017 | Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile | |
| 20.07.2017 | 20.07.2017 | La Course by Le Tour de France | www.letour.fr |
| 29.07.2017 | 29.07.2017 | Prudential RideLondon Classique | www.ridelondon.co.uk/events/classique |
| 17.08.2017 | 20.08.2017 | Ladies Tour of Norway | www.ladiestour.no |
| 26.08.2017 | 26.08.2017 | GP de Plouay – Lorient Agglomération | www.grandprix-plouay.com |
| 29.08.2017 | 03.09.2017 | Boels Rental Ladies Tour | www.hollandladiestour.nl |
| 10.09.2017 | 10.09.2017 | Madrid Challenge by la Vuelta | lavuelta.com/Madridchallenge |
| 19.09.2017 | 19.09.2017 | Womens World Championship Time Trial | |
| 23.09.2017 | 23.09.2017 | Womens World Championship Road Race |
Standings
[vsp_gc year=”2017″/]
Past Results
[vsp_gc year=”2016″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2015″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2014″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2013″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2012″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2011″/]
2010 VSP G.C.
*The Changing of the Picks rules are designed to promote fair play and keep the competition fun and open throughout the three-week race. Abuse of these rules will be managed through the “Piti Principle”: if we we feel you are attempting to exploit loopholes or otherwise take advantage of the Changing of the Picks rules, we will penalize you by deducting points from your total score. Much like the UCI doping suspensions, the amount of points deducted will be based on how egregious the abuse was.
@ped
Exactly the same for me. I know the one that I missed and I had narrowed it down easily to a 50/50 chance. Damn. Oh well, TONS better than last weeks total bonk on the final climb and my subsequent pedaling squares of a 2 pointer!!!
An improvement this week…could I be riding myself back in to form?..I doubt it! 10 pts, should have been, I knew the last one but ran out of time.
A grovelling 11 this week. I clearly don’t quiz well for my weight.
@Buck Rogers
Which one did you miss? I wobbled a bit on Hampsten but got a 15! I think I was thrown off my the fact he was wearing a jersey three sizes too big. Looked like a post-retirement shot too.
@wiscot
DUDE! No specifics until the quiz closes. But no, not that one.
Oh boy, I am the newbie with the lowest score among all of the Velominati. However, this week I was able to up my game to 10 – this may seem like SHITE to the wise ones, but I am happy with the progress. I am learning slowly from you all and enjoying the ride – as @Buck Rogers said – prepare for the learning, or something semi-intelligent like that. Could this be like the service academies? Is there some painful recognition for the one who makes it to the finish in last place?
12. I wonder which ones I missed.
I actually feel sorry for the Fucker.
@andrew Bloody Hell, he only had the metalwork taken out a couple of weeks ago. Should have kept it in. It’s only January though.
@andrew DAMN! I had not heard. But I bet he will be back just fine by July and we will be treated to his grimacing face for the cameras.
On a side note: I could not help thinking throughout the whole interview just how much more AWESOME the entire interview would have been if he had been wearing a cycling cap with the front bill down instead of a baseball cap.
@Buck Rogers
Yes but he’s not on a bike. Or a podium, where they should definitely ditch the baseball cappies.
I just got the 2014 Rouleur cap; they’ve done well this year.
@andrew
Valid point but as the Rule states one should wear it while doing cycling related activities and in my opinion, cycling is a way of life, not just on the bike, so we should wear them all the time if choosing to wear any headgear, esp if you are a pro.
(Where’s the smileyface emoticon when I need it)
Heh, I stand corrected, or educated. Or both.
@andrew
Ha! Just giving you shit and trying to justify my wearing of a cycling cap all over hell whether on the bike or not (bill down, though, always, unless I’m on the bike and I need it up for eyesight clearance).
As for “Standing” corrected, isn’t there a Rule that says that a true cyclist should always be sitting if at all possible to protect the guns from non-cycling exertion, with the caveat that one should actually be laying down if at all possible as opposed to sitting as that is even better for the guns?
This is why I ride a bicycle everywhere – I’ve either arrived by cycle or I’ll be leaving by cycle. Thus, a cap is never fully deceitful of the Rules.
Damn, Tommy V. done in by a car. And Cancellara also hit one, but he’s okay. In what other sport are the superstars hit, and sometimes killed, by goddamn cagers? Imagine if Lebron James was run over by a stoner on a fatbike while shooting jumpshots. Or if Tiger Woods was blasted by the same dude while working on putting. People would fucking riot. But, Grimace gets nailed, Spartacus too and it’s just the way she fuckin’ goes. Way she goes, boys. Damnit.
Speaking of the Tour Down Under…Jussi V. of Finland/FdJ is really going to upset some folks with his bib shorts choice. Major Rule breaker.
@Buck Rogers No worries; I have to confess to wearing my winter cap backwards pretty much all the time in cold weather, so I’m with you there. With the regular caps, I still feel the need to have a bike within reach.
Vaguely on topic, my sister lives in Adelaide and says the daytime felt heat if you’re out on the road is pretty intense. I remember going from a -10°C European winter to a +35°C Australian summer, and while it hasn’t been very cold in Europe this winter, the acclimatization for some riders might be a bitch.
@Ron Simple: other sports are soft.
But yeah, kind of crazy, all the same.
8 pts today….almost respectable but not quite.
15. YES 15. I fucking rock. No doubt normal service will be resumed next week and I’ll get 2 or less.
Just did the last 3 quizzes. A 2, 11, and 8. Just glad they weren’t all 2s.
11 points this week, so I guess I got Q4 wrong – what a tit
15 points in record time! Mike_P I know just how you feel!
15 this week. Just trying to hold on to the lead pack!
Holy SHIT that was a hard quiz. At least I thought so. Guessed a bunch and only really knew two of them outright. Managed an 8 but it was ugly. Put your thinking caps on and no spilers please.
@Buck Rogers you’re not lying, I got an utterly crapatastic 7, and consider myself lucky
0. Hangs his head in same and links away…
Downward Spiral into Hell Hath No Fury on the rollers tonight as a penance I think.
@Chris
Zero = nude roller session. Don’t argue. Its a universal truth everyone knows. No photos please.
(I got a 6 but mostly complete guesses.)
@Harminator I would…
…but my parents are staying at the moment. So, no, not this time.
Anyway, two hours on the rollers without so much as a chamois to cushion the nether regions would be torture beyond even Jens’ ability to embrace the suffering.
@Chris
Too bad it’s not the in-laws staying then you could pull the nude rollers with panache!
So, not glad that you all found it hard as well but glad to know that I was not the only one flailing and guessing on that one! I was wondering whether my dementia had fully kicked in and it was time for the nursing home and depends.
I got a 10 because for once I knew this shit. Its like you were all sizing each other up in the last 500m and I, the unknown domestique, fancied my chances and went for glory – I don’t get to do my victory salute very often but when I do Eurosport use it as part of the introductory video for every event for the rest of the year.
7’s and 8’s are good this week. A dire 6 for me.
Today I got 3. Worst. Score. Ever. I’m deeply ashamed. Why can’t there be more quizzes based on photos? I’m ace at those.
starts Saturday, March 1, 2014 (33 days)
@unversio
Can’t wait. Here’s the parcours if you’re interested, just click on start.
http://www.omloophetnieuwsblad.be/nl/elite-men/race/track
Brutal quiz this week.
@TommyTubolare
Thanx. Wearing a Flanders Classics black jersey (Vermarc) all season — OMLOOP HET NIEUWSBLAD – DWARS DOOR VLAANDEREN – GENT-WEVELGEM – RONDE VAN VLAANDEREN – SCHELDEPRIJS – BRABANTSE PIJL
@TommyTubolare
Most impressive race map — with heat zones.
Late in to the loop but I am quite pleased with an 8 this week!
@unversio
Possibly one of the most exciting times of the year coming up. A month of the 6 Nations Rugby (starts this weekend) followed by the Spring Classics signalling an end to the bike that ride on mud and return to the road. Rock On!
Any indication of the likely publishing of the VSP schedule @Frank
I feel the need to start my studies so that I can maximise my chances to do miserably once more on the VSP.
And the news we’ve not really all been waiting for…
Old Man Horner,
Dat Old Man Horner
He must know sumthin
But don’t say nuthin
He just keeps rollin’
He keeps on rollin’ alongggggg
Jeesus fuckballs, Barry’s quizzes just get harder
6 points, pass me a gel quick
@ped you did well. I’m saying nothing this week. Nope, nothing to see here.
Totally redeemed myself today – 12 points! Pure luck . . .
@wiscot
FUCK Me! I thought I did okay and then only managed a 5! Currently shooting off the back of the VSP!
Well done, Wiscot!
@Buck Rogers
Managed a 10 – just proves that a blind squirrel can find a nut.
@Deakus
Love the Six Nations – as a Yank it was a real treat to see Italy v Scotland in Murrayfield a few years back. No joy for the locals unfortunately. Amazing crowd and feel to the City that day. Same feel as a bike festival with Kilts and pasta.
@HMBSteve
As a family (back when a family could friggin’ afford 5 tickets) we used to go to Murrayfield regularly to see the rugby internationals in the late 70s/early 80s. Other than South Africa (banned at the time from international play) I think I saw just about everyone. Saw all the Welsh greats: JPR Williams, JJ Williams, Gareth Edwards, Sid Going from New Zealand, Jean Pierre Rives from France, Willie John McBride from Ireland, Bill Beaumont of England.
What was awesome was there was no seating in 2/3rds of the stadium, no crowd segregation, a colossal amount of booze openly carried in and no crowd trouble. Happy days.
@wiscot
Happy days indeed! Way better atmosphere and far better game than American football.
The latest quiz is up early.
Good luck trivia pedalwans. My bubble has burst – 4 points…
Totally off thread but the UCI have announced a round of CX World Cup is coming to Milton Keynes, UK on Nov 29. Velominati day at the races anyone?