Velominati Super Prestige: 2011 Men’s Elite Worlds Road Race
A clatter of the metal grate rolling up signals another opening of the Velominati Bookmaker’s Office. The gaggle of skinny (and not so skinny, you know who you are) jabbering cycling addicts rush the door, each with their dream of a bumper sticker dancing in their heads. Before the office opened the bookies have consulted the oracle; a garbled audio of Sean Kelly’s predictions where he maybe tipped the little known Gullaume Van Keirsbulck, or did he say Phillip Gilbert. Bettini likes Cavendish’s chances while Cavendish likes Thor’s chances and Thor likes Keirsbulck’s chances or did he say Roelandts?
Since Geelong everyone has been saying this was a sprinters course, so a sprinter won’t win. It is only 266km with no serious grades and a total of 1785m of climbing. I could finish this course, if I could ride 266km and there was no time cut. For the professional road championship it does not sound long or grueling enough but the weather could be cold, windy and wet, if so the Spanish will suffer and the Italians will have to race with neck gaiters.
Looking back this year Cancellara should have won the 2010 world title so his less-than-spectacular season could be blamed on the curse of the rainbow jersey. Gilbert cannot have another season as good as this one so he better not win on Sunday or the jersey will be blamed in 2012. I started to feel bad for Thor when the yellow jersey came off his back and went to Voeckler during the Tour de France until I remembered he had the rainbow jersey underneath it! Who needs that trashy yellow one when you are already have the rainbow? I stopped feeling bad for Thor.
It’s late in the season, many have packed it in for the year, others have ridden the Vuelta to gain form. Are they good or cooked? Will the British team work together to bring Cav to the line or go down in flames like the Italians used to? The thought of Cavendish wearing the rainbow hoops for the next year has caused some anxiety in the office. His propensity for white tube socks with black shoes would diminish the aura the rainbow jersey brings to any worthy rider. The Aussi team looks unbeatable and yet…The bottom line on bookmaking is this will be another impossible race to pick the winner, unless you choose Gilbert.
Here is a link to the start list. As always, if you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the form below. Make your picks by 5am Pacific Sunday morning, regular VSP Rules apply.
I think it will come down to a sprint and I do not think that they’ll be able to bottle Cav. Tough race to call, though.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. EBH
3. Farrar
4. Bennati
5. Thor
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Hushovd
3. Freire
4. Gilbert
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Griepel
3. Cancellara
4. Gilbert
5. Hushovd
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Cancellara
3. Boasson Hagen
4. Sagan
5. Hushovd
I think it will be a course for powerhouses. Cancellara has worked on his sprint, just look at MSR and the Champs-Elysées. Boom is looking like the man in form, winning the Tour of Britain and he is rather good at uphill sprints. EBH and Hushovd are in there as wildcards and Freire will be there as well.
No Gilbert because I think he’ll be too tired to win, and I need the VSP points.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boom
3. Freire
4. Hushovd
5. EBH
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Cavendish
3. Sagan
4. Thor
5. Boasson HagenDaz
@Netraam
Man, I see your reasoning. It was soooo hard not to go with Cancellara, esp after his bronze in the ITT, he’ll be going hell bent for leather.
Also, I’ve been burned with not picking Gilbert before but I really do not think that this will be his race (although it seems that he’s made every race HIS race this season!)
Really hard not to reason Cav for this one.
VSP PICKS:
1. Rainbowdish
2. The Go-rilla
3. Thord
4. Billions and Billions
5. Renshaw
I pray Gilbert doesn’t win, the world stripes are so heavy, give it to the youngster…he doesn’t know any better
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan the pagan
2. Boy Edvald
3. Oskar Friere the old man
4. Kittel the skittle
5. Froome
Gilbert’s arguably got a better team supporting him in Copenhagen than he does with his club; how is he going to react to real help? Spartacus is going to go off on his own with three laps to go and all hell will break loose. A very small and select group will be able to keep up, dashing Cav’s chances and others. Gilbert will make the selection, then he’ll tell the breakaway when he’s going to drop them. If Kittel wins, he could wear a Witte Kittel with hoops around the middle.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert the Crocodile
2. Carl Sagan’s eponymous nephew
3. Thor
4. German Kettle
5. Spartacus
@marko
Love the “Cosmos” reference. A favorite series in my house!
@marko
VSP PICKS:
1. Fast Phil
2. Faboo
3. Peter Satan
@marko
Good call on Renshaw – let’s hope he gets a late call up….
VSP PICKS:
1. Phil Spurts
2. Faboo
3. Peter Satan
4. Harvey Kettle
5. Two in a row
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Thor
3. Gilbert
4. Sagan
5. Farrar
Throwing a bone to Robbie. Haven’t seen his name in awhile and use to love his “out of nowhere, do it yourself” sprints.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavalry Dish
2. Gilbert the Corsair
3. Spartacus
4. God of Thunder
5. Robbie McEwen
What’s all this CAV nonsense about? He ain’t got it.
VSP PICKS:
1. Phil Gil
2. Sagan
3. Goss
4. THOR!
5. Lil Tommy Voeckler
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Thor
3. Gilbert
4. Bossen hagen
5. Wiggins
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Thor
3. Goss
4. Farrar
5. Spartacus
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Goss
4. Farrar
5. Thor
I’d love to see a Brit win but have my doubts regarding Cav’s form. Would he have done so well without the HTC team built around HIM? Sure the other Brits’ll lead out for him but I don’t think he’s got it right now.
VSP PICKS:
1. Farrar
2. Sagan
My apologies…. a novice mistake and surely a violation of a rule. Here are my V picks.
VSP PICKS:
1. Farrar
2. Sagan
3. Gilbert
4. Goss
5. Hushovd
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. The Thunder God
3. The one called Spartacus
4. Wiggins
5. Greipal
VSP PICKS:
1. CavenCANdish
2. Thor (home advantage)
3. EBH (ditto)
4. Peter Sagan
5. Spartacus
vintage v please, lets see them put some bloody effort in.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert Grape
2. Thorminator
3. rolling stone gathers no Goss
4. Cavendale cheese
5. wrenchshaw
Spartacus has to be my pick, mostly because he’s podiumed so many times already this year, he’s got to be due. Also, I just want to see him in the bands. With so many eyes on Cav, Gilbert, the Aussies and all their respective squads, maybe he can hide in plain sight this time. There should be “the” break, that has enough favorites from strong teams to stay away. If it’s windy, this is almost a certainty. But who will find their way into it and who will have the legs…
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Goss
4. Voeckler
5. Wiggins
@roadslave
Norwegians have the home advantage in Denmark?
Hi all, I haven’t properly introduced myself but I’ve been enjoying the musings of Sir Frank and am looking forward to my first VSP entry. I live in southern Cal but don’t hold it against me. Suffering guns ( although I am currently Too Fat to Climb now ) are the same here as everywhere else.
I wanted to mention that the photo of Freddy Maertens is pretty menacing. He’s now curator/coffee shop manager of the Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde, Belgium where they will finish the race next year. I met him there last year. Nice guy who I am sure could lay down the V still. Good luck to all on Sunday.
VSP PICKS:
1. Farrar
2. Sagan
3. Gilbert
4. Goss
5. Hushovd
I just hope it’s not a bunch sprint…
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Thor
3. Chavanel
4. Little Tommy V
5. Ben King
Gah…. what a field and what a confusing parcours. With everyone talking about making it hard, I see a small break of nutters that goes to the finish, with EBH best of the rest.
VSP PICKS:
1. Super-Phil
2. Spartacus
3. Chavanel
4. Hero-land
5. EBH
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
Maybe this
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. EBH
4. Goss
5. Gilbert
@draffenator
Welcome good sir. May your picks be wise, if Tyler wins, I’ll buy your next round of beers in Belgium. Glad you liked the freddy photo. I was looking for an old school world champion shot but this was so great I couldn’t help myself. It’s nice you met the Man, I would be humbled to do likewise.
Bunch gallop. I really hope I’m way wrong on that though. But if I’m not, I hope Cav gets put into the barriers by Robbie…
VSP PICKS:
1. SagWagon, P
2. Gossy
3. Deano
4. Rickshaw
5. Bennati
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Goss
3. Benatti
4. Sagan
5. Cancellara
Cavendish is not even going to be close.
Choosing Gilbert if only to see Team BMC with no less than four current and past World Champions, and because I think he is the most deserving and if I don’t pick him, he’ll win for sure.
The Gorilla will come close I think. Cancellara will be looking to save his season and will be dangerous. I wanted to put Degenkolb and Kittel in as well. Alas, not enough space.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Greipel
3. Cancellara
4. Sagan
5. O’Grady
This is Phils year and I daren’t pick against him. Im also picking that cavendouche won’t make itwith the final pack… If ge does my picks are screwed!
VSP PICKS:
1. Phil Gill
2. Dagan
3. God of thunder
4. Goss
5. Cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Farrar
3. Thor
4. Cancellara
5. Gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Goss
3. Gilbert
4. Cancellara
5. Hushovd
VSP PICKS:
1. Thor God of Thunder
2. Cancellara
3. Ben King
4. Farrar
5. EBH
I love that peeps are picking Sagan. He’ll be legend. Sagan, Thorpedo, Gilbert, Farrar, Gorilla: That’s who I’d love to see in the top 5.
VSP PICKS:
1. Philippe Gilbert
2. Fabian Cancellara
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen
4. Mark Cavendish
5. Matthew Goss
Hard to believe it is here again! Seems like I was just staying up all night to watch this yesterday. Time flies when you are turning the cranks daily.
Happy autumn equinox, lads!
Can’t wait for the race. East coasters can get up really damn early, west coasters can just keep the party goin’ strong!
You’d have to be an idiot to not pick Phil Gilbert for the win.
VSP PICKS:
1. Jack Baur
2. Jeremy Vennell
3. Oscar Freire
4. Greipel
5. David Millar
Cancellara has put in some impressive sprints. I think he manages to tip Phil. Last year, everyone said the race would end in a bunch gallop. It didn’t quite do so, even though the U-23 race did. I’m feeling deja-vu from the cycling rags on this one.
@roadslave
How does being from Norway yield home advantage in Denmark? Isn’t there a rather imperious body of water separating them?
VSP PICKS:
1. The Man With the Golden Bearings
2. Phil’s Better than You
3. The (now former) Rainbow God
4. Chavanel
5. Nick Nyugens
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Boss Hogg
3. Kiddie Sagan
4. Dutch Boss
5. Le jeune étalon
@Minion
Jeremy Vannell? I got nothing. An Oz porno reference? Throw a bone to man who inputs name-into-vsp-data-generator. And yes, uphill finish, Gilbert?! Hello! I agree, it seems like he will kill ’em all and look really good in the jersey.
Anybody but Cancellara or Cavendish. Especially Cancellara. I love this race. I’m so excited about Richmond in 2015! When should I book my hotel?
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. Thor
4. Freire
5. Goss
Gianni, you know how to set it up and make the case for an impossible pick and using fast Freddie for your lead out man – inspired!
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Gilbert
3. Haussler
4. Martin
5. Freire
He’s on the New Zealand team, went for a couple of Sunday rides with him last year. He’s got no fucken clue who I’d be – that fat oaf he spun past when we were trying to sprint. He raced for Bissell in the US for a couple of seasons, local favourite.
While we’re name dropping, did you all know that NZ’s Jack Bauer was a cycle courier in Wellington? Did you know I was also a cycle courier in Wellington? You know what that makes me? Desperate.
He did turn up at our track after work one night, got on a hired bike and set the 3k pursuit record for the track.