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!
Not sure what happened there, but I didn’t make any swaps with that post. My picks are still the same. Swaps will be coming later tonight after I’ve had a few hours to agonize about them….
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Vincenzo Nibali
2. Joaquim Rodriguez
3. Bradley Wiggins
4. Michele Scarponi
5. Jakob Fuglsang
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Nibali
2. Wiggins
3. J. Rod
4. J. Brajkovic
5. Fuglsang
How does the 2-point penalty work? Say I had a guy in my top 5, moved him up, had to replace his spot at 5. Is that a 2 or 4 point deduction?
Rookie queries really, but after all that denim talk, I have no shame!
@Ron
Are you roning it up? My guess is it would be 4 points.
@Ron
Two changes – gotta be a 4 point penalty. And the Piti Principle should spank you even harder. Fucking soft to change picks due to poor performance of your initial selections.
By ronning up on ron ronning up i think I am ronning squared!
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Wiggins
2. Nibali
3. Brajkovic
4. Scarponi
5. J Rod
@sgt
Marzio??!! Chapeau @sgt!
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Nibali
2. Wiggins
3. Mollema
4. J Rod
5. Menchov
Ha, seems like I’m not the only one making swaps! I had Igor Anton at #2, had to ditch that. I really only wanted to make one switch, but moving Wiggins up left a gap that I had to fill.
Anyway, despite the ego depletion incurred through this past week of denim kit & V-Kit choices, I still have the energy to get worked up over the VSP. Only so much racing left here…and I have an apron to win!
@Ron
At least you didn’t have to deal with the ‘dude looks like a lady’ shit I have. Y’yall are still giving me crap about that (Chris O).
Bettini survived an aircrash.
Froome lost the red jersey.
Six-way tie that goes to @Dr C as the race (finally) starts to get interesting.
[vsp_results id=”9276″]
[/vsp_results]
@Marko
I’d like to note that I made pics on day one and have been missing from the standing. All the best.
IGOR ANTON LOST MORE THAN 10 MINUTES WE CAN FINALLY SWITCH HIM OUT
Wow, I really shouldn’t get that excited about the VSP. Hill repeats this evening.
Netraam – what the hell are you talking about? It’s perfectly acceptable to get that excited over the VSP. When everyone else is getting all wet over the piece of shit NFL getting going, we have bike racing. Fuck all those dudes who spend their entire weekend on a couch drinking Miller Lite.
The VSP is big-time! Get excited.
And ouch, Taylor Phinney rolled across the line dead last.
if wiggo is the paul weller of the peloton, with his mod coolness,
then dan martin is the shane macgowan, telling everyone to piss off when he attacks.
cheers to wiggo in red!
@Netraam
Somewhere in the depths of the Tour de France conversations, we decided to abolish the 10-minute rule, so sadly he’s still there.
Besides, it wouldn’t have applied since it would only be in effect for riders who were in contention and fell back more than 10 minutes in one shot. Anton was already a goner by today’s racing…
And great to see such excitement over what is arguably the most important cycling event on the planet, the VSP. I mean, we are talking about PRIDE, HONOR, BRAGGING RIGHTS, and A FUCKING APRON!!
@heath
+1
@all
I was mapping the picks today while doing about four other things and I’m positive I made some mistakes. If you had rest-day swaps, please check them and make sure you didn’t get hosed.
Is anyone else tired of hearing Nicholas Roche saying that he’ll get a top 10 this time? According to VeloNation.com, as he sits in 17th he thinks the climbs coming up should get him into the top 10. Really? You think so? Because you’ve been saying this for a very long time in every GT you’re in. Maybe, just maybe, you aren’t as good as your dad. I’m not saying that that isn’t a hard thing to live up to and live down, but maybe, just maybe, you should have taken up snooker or something.
(yes, I know he could kick my ass up one side of the mountain and down the other all day… I’m just saying…)
@Erik
Know what you mean… yes he’s not a bad rider but he isn’t a team leader or a realistic GC hope.
I think he would actually have a better career as a super-domestique, loyal-lieutenant type of rider, and if his last name wasn’t Roche, that’s what he would be.
@frank
So much for my strategy of waiting for Anton to drop 10 minutes.
Word up Wiggo….. lets see if the Modfather can keep his shizzle together… :O)
@frank Hi Frank. I think I get more than zero, as I have Kessiakoff, Nibali and Fuglsang. By my count, I should get, like, you know, some…
@frank
@G’phant
Fucking weak of you G’phant to take the overall lead by subbing in Wiggins on the rest day.
Winning with rest day subs lacks panache. For now, I call you COTHO.
Have the courage of your convictions man!
@Marcus
Oh, you mean like me! No swaps here (I actually spaced out on it, but whatever).
@mcsqueak
@mcsqueak
SWAPS?!?! …We don’t need no stinking SWAPS!!!! Actually, I’m sooo crazy with moving that I only get to check in about very third day or so, so I am completely out in left field. But, still getting in the “wonderful” trainer rides.
Frank: Great to hear that you dumped the 10 minute pussy rule. Live by your picks, even if your pick turns out to be a piece of shit! That’s the way to HTFU!!!
Also, SOOO AWESOME to see The Moncout take today’s stage. I really love him and his attitude. Totally embodies the “Way/Zen” of cycling in my opinion.
Okay, see you all in three days or so!
From 2 its to zero. There is no Lanterne Rouge in the Vuelta is there? Christ, what a week so far. But it’s hump day right! HA!
@scaler911
HELL! I’ve gone from one point to zero! What the hell is going on in this race anyways?
@mcsqueak
Yeah. I’ve still got Anton FTW. I guess that means I’m sticking to my convictions. (Delgado’d the rest day swaps.)
@Jeff in PetroMetro
You and me both, Brother! Let’s go Anton!!! ;)
@Marcus
What, rest-day substitutions are only morally acceptable if they don’t confer an advantage? Perhaps in the same way that an underarm ball in cricket would only be morally acceptable if it didn’t decide the match…? (Note for North American readers – old trans-Tasman sporting sore just picked afresh.)
@G’phant
Huh?
@Buck Rogers
Welcome to Texas! I hope you’re enjoying our exceptional drought.
@ Buck Rogers, @Jeff in PetroMetro, @Marcus, @mcsqueak,
I’m with you, no swaps, (point losses are too confusing for me, however badly I’d like to lose Anton!), gotta dance with the one you brought…
Wiggo did well, I’d like to see some fire from Purito, however, and VDB…
@Jeff in PetroMetro
So, do you live in extreme or exceptional? I do enjoy the heat, but Merckx Almighty. And what exactly does ‘exceptional’ entail?
@G’phant
No the under-arm is only morally acceptable when deployed against the kiwis.
@frank
You’ve mapped my choice of the Modfather as Joaquin Rodriguez, (thankfully my choice of J-Rod from the Rokkit Sqwad also maps as him) as opposed to Wiggo.
Fools Gold was Jakob Fuglsang (also known as birdsong to your Danish speakers)
@scaler911
In the Queen’s that would be still be correct as long as the current drought is an exception to the general rule, thus qualifying as exceptional.
@G’phant
The additional commentary was unnecessary as soon as you said “cricket.”
@G’phant
Your comparison of underarm bowling to rest day substitutions is apt – both are examples of unsporting behaviour. I was ashamed of Trevor (and Greg) Chappell and now I am ashamed of you.
And whilst I am talking to a Kiwi (note I did not introduce nationalistic fervor into this one, you did), didn’t we beat you in your national sport/religion on the weekend? The one that is played and followed by less than half the people in a couple of our states? Reason I ask is that I am not quite sure myself because we don’t really give a hoot about rugby.
This goes for you too Minion.
@Marcus
I don’t know whether to be dispirited or elated that an Australian is ashamed of me.
@Marcus
Just wait till the ABs don’t win the world cup. I’m changing nationality to Chilean.
@G’phant
Just remember who sold you the mirror.
yes, pick it out!
just watched stage 8 with Dan Martin winning – there’s a new Wiggo out there – though how long he can beat the shit out of himself like this is the question, but blimey, he smoked them all again today – awesome
back from UK Champs in my boat, choked on English spray all week, so flogged the boat and am off down to the LBS to work on Rule #12 to cheer myself up
actually enjoyed myself more in the after sailing bike rides through Hampshire than I did racing the yot – what has happened to me!!
@minion
For the record, we’ll win the WC. I’m going to the final. The only other final I’ve been to is the only other one we’ve won. I am clearly good luck for NZ competitors on the world stage. So – (i) we can forget all about the stoopid tournament and re-focus on cycling, and (ii) if anyone wants to fund me to visit Copenhagen, I can guarantee that Julian Dean will win the rainbow bands…
@G’phant
pointless to propose a VSP Rugby World Cup I guess, to get us through the end of September…..
@scaler911
@Mikael Liddy Exceptional. This is definitely not the norm. Pretty much every city and town in Texas is on some sort of mandatory water rationing program. Rivers have dried up. Aquifers are getting really low. Here in Houston, the ground has contracted so much that we have over 1,000 water main breaks. Everywhere I ride, there is water bubbling up under a sidewalk or in the middle of a street because a water main has broken underground. All the grass is dead. All the trees are dying. Here are the details.
@Chris
hey chap, what happened to the Training feeds from Cadiz?
I’ve been offski sailing – have you cracked the ton yet?
Doh! Forgot about the World Champs
@frank
He lost 10 minutes in 1 ride. Too bad I can’t switch him out now, it was part of my rest day strategy to see when he lost more time so I could get a free switch instead of a penalty.