Velominati Super Prestige: 2011 La Vuelta a España
Spain is an awesome country. It has amazing scenery, culture, cities and chicas… oh, the chicas. Its football competition features the world’s best players, their national team are the reigning World Cup holders, and they boast world champions in tennis, Moto GP, Superbikes and Formula 1. They regularly kick the collective asses of France and Italy, and a lot of other European countries when it comes to bicycle racing, although most of their recent heroes have somewhat of a cloud hanging over them. So why does their Grand Tour hardly raise an eyebrow when compared to the other two big tours, and why the fuck do they still allow cowards on horses armed with poison darts to taunt and kill a beast as noble as el toro for ‘entertainment’?
I can’t really answer the last one, but the fact that La Vuelta is treated like the road racing equivalent of a red-headed stepchild is about as fair as the Corrida itself. To me, and to many pros, it is seen as a tour of redemption. Those who, for one reason or another, either due to bad luck, bad management or bad form suffered a less-than-stellar Tour de France, now get a chance to make something of their season and add a ‘major’ to their palmares. Riders like Jan Ullrich, who in 1999 took the amarillo jersey after sitting out Le Tour with a dicky knee. 2008 saw Contador make amends after his Astana team was prevented from starting le Grande Boucle under a doping cloud. In fact, La Vuelta and doping have more than a passing aquaintance, with Valverde winning while under a pending hearing in 2009, and of course little Robbie Heras getting stripped of his 05 title after an EPO positive. Last year wasn’t without its own scandal, with a positive for 2nd place ‘sensation’ Ezequiel Mosquera dragging La Vuelta’s name through the red dust again. It could well be the dirtiest tour of them all, a race that itself seeks atonement as much as those who race it.
This year’s edition has the same sense of redemption written all over it, with some of Le Tour’s unfortunates having a crack at it. There’s Wiggo, who was in the self-proclaimed form of his life before snapping his twig-like collarbone early on. Can he show us what he had promised on the roads of France in the Dauphine, or will the Spanish heat and steep, long climbs be too much for him? How about Jurgen Van den Broeck, also looking great before his own clavicle calamity ended his July. Invisible Denis will also be there, his Geox team considered not good enough for the Tour, out to show that he’s still a force and add to his two Spanish victories. Other battered old warhorses who will never give up easily are Andreas Klöden and Carlos Sastre, but father time may have finally taken its toll on this duo.
In reality, it’ll probably come down to the younger brigade made up of last year’s winner Vinnie Nibali, J-Rod, Scarponi, and Anton. It could be a blow-out, or one of the best races of the year. We may even get another drug controversy to keep up the status quo of years gone by. Whatever happens is anybody’s guess, which is why this race is one of the hardest to pick for VSP contenders, and one that might even be as exciting, vibrant and colourful as the country it traverses for three hot weeks.
So pour yourself a glass of Sangria, give the start list a long or glancing look, and post your picks before 5am Pacific time (yeah, I don’t know when the hell that is either…) and if you have any doubts, confusion or questions, head to the VSP page for clarification, rules and/or rebuttals. No horsing around, no bullshit.
Buena suerte!
David Millar is quite dismissive of Wiggins in his book.
Pretty much suggests that the fourth in the tour was the best he’ll ever get and he only got to there because of the rest of the team, and then didn’t show much appreciation for it.
He implies that Wiggins just doesn’t have the presence or the people-skills to lead a team – no sense of noblesse oblige so he will never have people laying it all down to help him.
I can recall a couple of the Eurosport commentators saying something similar earlier this year. I forget what race it was, something that Wiggins was doing just to get in race fitness but other riders in his team were challenging for jerseys. They made the point that those are the times a top rider has to pay back the lesser lights of the team, but Wiggins was just sitting at the back letting the rest of the team do their thing.
It may or may not be relevant but I think it’s interesting to get a little insight into those things beyond form and fitness that make a top rider. Lance may have been a COTHO but he seemed to have a presence that made people throw themselves down the road for him.
Similarly I think Cadel didn’t have that until he won the rainbow jersey and afterwards he had the confidence and the aura to change the way his team viewed him.
Do the Schlecks have it ? Answers on a postcard.
@Steampunk
no worries, I’ll shred the tarmac over here very slowly on your behalf meantime
@xyxax
cheers, nicest thing anyone has ever said to me – sadly that is where the comparison ends – bet I can descend faster than him though, but also sadly, not if on a bike
I can’t live with myself tipping Weller for the win, but The Jam are fucking awesome, so I’ll keep him in the V…
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibbles
2. Get your Ant on
3. Anybody’s Rodri-guess
4. Scarper!
5. Jolly Naughty Weller
VSP PICKS:
1. Anybody’s Rodri-guess
2. Get your Ant on
3. Nibbles
4. Scarper!
5. Jolly Naughty Weller
@ChrisO
That’s a shame about Wiggo. Hate to hear he’s got a bit of the spoiled child syndrome. But Merckx, what a wardrobe.
@ChrisO
I read that too in Millary’s book… apparently, they had a clearing of the air / heart-to-heart before the start of the TdF, and have kissed and made up… DM was still really pissed at Wiggo a) not being present in the Champs Elysees sprint for Tyler, and b) the comment about ‘it’s like moving from Wigan to ManU’ (Wiggo’s home team and favourite team is Wigan, he argues… was taken out of context). Having said that… have also just read Roger Moore’s “Sky’s the Limit”, and guess what – in the 2010 TdF, Sky were trying to salvage something from the wreckage of their race, but in the Champs Elysees sprint… Wiggins was missing…and sprint challenge fizzled out… as for Garmin in 2009… Hmmmm. Prick.
Having said that, I think his admission with the press midway through 2009 race that ‘I just don’t have it this year, and don’t know why… I can’t lie to you… but I’m going to carry on to Paris, because that’s what you have to do’ was taking responsibility in a straight up way… he’s grown up a lot since then, and (I hope) has become that leader – Dauphine, GB Nat Champs, not bad run up… and he’s talking about repaying the support from his team and fans after TdF DNF. We’ll see… I have faith.
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Igor Anton
3. J. Rod
4. J. Brajkovic
5. Wiggins
@ChrisO @roadslave
I was really down on Sky last year, but I’m coming around on the whole outfit. And the younger guys seem to live and die for the Modfather. Thomas, Swift, etc. do nothing but sing his praises. Maybe it’s for show, but there seems to be better unity here.
I’m no fan of Millar BTW, I think he’s a COTSO, which in many ways is worse… at least LA was/is a first-rate c*nt.
But it does seem to be a recurring theme with Wiggins. There was a similar issue with Cavendish at the Olympics, after Wiggins had his gold medals and Cav thought he didn’t try hard enough in the Madison. They’ve also kissed and made up, apparently.
I don’t think it’s a matter of being spoiled or thinking he’s too good. It seems to me to be somewhat autistic-type behaviour (and I have two boys on the autistic spectrum) in that he seems to find it a challenge to recognise how he should behave or to empathise with other people.
We’ll see, maybe he’s got better at it… especially if/when Cav joins Sky.
Man… 24 window for a grand tour VSP is tough… Oh well…
@sgt
Speaking of which, isn’t Vattenfalls on the VSP schedule?
WTF is going on with this TTT. Chains dropping, riders dropping, teams all over the shop… it would be an embarrassment to a club chain-gang.
BTW Xponti… congrats ! Team Excellent Noodles ;-)
VSP results up and running – it may be a little while until the badges for leading the race sync up…stand by.
[vsp_results id=”9276″]
[/vsp_results]
@mouse
You’re off to a good start.
@Buck Rogers
My deepest sympathies. Terrible, terrible. Stay close to your family, and ride your bike, mate.
this is probably the only time I will ever make the podium.
All of us on zero points? Does that mean I’m first equal or last equal?
Good grief, what happened to Sky? Did the front five forget to stop for coffee?
Well, Im pretty chuffed to be in 16th spot at this stage
Ah, crash took out two of them I see on CN
YEEEAAAHHH! *fist pump*
The first and last time I’m ever to get a leaders jersey.
Hmm, it appears I have at least the next 20 or so hours to fill up these posts with pointless ramblings just to see that lovely La Roja beside my name…
Off to Spain tomorrow but La Vuelta is going to be just a bit too far away. It’d be couple of hours in the car which is too far to drag the family for what could be 15 seconds of peloton whizzing by or would mean ditching them for a day without a car.
Upshot is that I’m taking my bike – two weeks of hot and hilly riding! And the villa has Eurosport! Yeah!
@mouse
nice work – early bird gets the red jersey
fickle I know, but come the rest day, Wiggo out, Fuckslang in
@Chris
result
@Dr C
plan is for an hour or two’s ride every day. got my first century in october, a hilly one in shropshire so I need to get some miles in. it’ll be steep in place but maybe not as bad as yours! (although if at any point my speed drops below 4mph it will obviously e steeper!)
just need ryanair to get my bike there safely…
Fugelsang? WTF?
@Dr C
Thought about slotting BugleSong into my picks, but decided that the kid probably has one eye on the Worlds in his home country. Maybe the wrong call. I like him a lot, and he’s losing press to Sagan, EBH, Phinney, and the kids. But I think he’s the real deal.
A place among the best 50 should be possible
Well, I missed the deadline for entry into this portion of the VSP, as I spent the last two days traveling. I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I’ll take a look at the rules and see what my options are for entering as the race unfolds.
I should have logged in here last night during my 4 hour layover in San Francisco. Then, I would have met the deadline. Oh well. By the way, Frank (and other recent travelers elsewhere), did the airline get you for your bike on your trip to Maui? The $150 fees I’ve had to pay several times over the past six months of traveling with my bike sure do leave a sour taste in my mouth during the flight home, that’s for sure.
Logged on to check out Vattenfall. Farrar is not on the CN start list. Anyone know if he’s in? There is an empty space for the number 1.
Sorry this is here, but the VSP isn’t up yet. Not that I sit next to my computer trying to get more VSP points. Not that at all.
Speaking of Spanish chicas, I present for your viewing Maria Valverde
@Steampunk
he was off the radar for me, as he wasn’t on the top ten fancied riders on the CN preview, and withour the Schleckies, you kind of forget about the Leoatard boys for GC, but he is an awesome TTer and climber, so long as he has some help from his mates – watch this space
@Chris
….Ryanair….I’d leave the carbon bike at home and take the rubber one….
@drsoul
only one I have used is Air Fungus, the Irish National carrier, who talked about bikes whilst checking it in and were superb – £60 return – cheaper than hiring a carbon bike
La Roja’s given me wings.
Had my Sunday ride today. Exquisite day in Melbourne after a Noah’s age of rain and cold. Recorded no less than 5 personal bests on climbs in the Dandenongs before the cramps set in.
A strong coffee enabled me to nurse the guns home.
How am I going to top that?
I suppose I should basque (!) in the glory of my final few hours.
@mouse
It was cold on the ark, too? Didn’t know that…
Are we playin’ along to the Vattenfall? Haven’t seen anything, but is listed in the VSP races calendar.
Princess Letizia of Spain on the left. Mrs. Sarkozy on the right.
It was never going to make it, but nice to see Boonen go for it in the final sprint (too early). Nice win for Sutton.
Yes, Kittel had a bad run though – when Boonen ran out of gas he virtually stopped but it was on a corner and Kittel and quite a few others were boxed in.
That’s why Sutton and the Lotto guy were out on their own and the rest was still catching up.
Good for him though – might lighten the mood on the Sky bus.
Wiggins lost another 13 seconds.
How did Nibali get into fourth overall already? This Maui timezone thing is weird, having the races over by the time I wake up. Nuttin makes any sense.
We’re into the points already with Gerard taking the lead.
[vsp_results id=”9276″]
[/vsp_results]
@Ron
Oops, missed it!
Rapha are running a jersey pocket stuffing comp thing on their facebook page, and The V got a rep today. Let’s see a few Sacred Garments with V-worthy contents up there for a bit of a laugh eh? Check it out here and on our facebook page…
@brett
I would have picked Eddy the Boss to win.
I presume the Rapha contest needs to include Rapha jerseys?
@Steampunk
Yeah we all would’ve picked him! How about everyone gets the same points: SFA.
I don’t think you nee to post a Rapha jerey, there are others posted, so give it a go anyway..
Gah complete and utter Delgado…If I only enter a top 3 on the first rest day do I only incur the penalty on the riders I enter?
@ChrisO
Thanks. Will hopefully be big enough for me to wear around the streets of Perth.
Why does it not surprise me that the guy on the Rapha comp not only tells us what was in his pockets but wherever possible the brand of each item as well (except the tube – perhaps it was something embarrassing like Kenda).
I bet it was a Cheng Shen tube. I never know how to feel about Rapha stuff, always kind of cool, always a bit too much for me to really get excited about. Oh well.
I’m more excited for the racin’ in the Centennial state than the Vuelta. Step child Grand Tour for sure.