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Velominati Super Prestige: L’Eroica/Strade Bianche 2013

Eroica
This isn’t Pavé – its Gravé.

Until the 70’s it was common to race on gravel roads, but the Paving of the Planet has led to nearly every road being graced by smooth, black tarmac. As is the case with most things, once we are shown the easy path, it is difficult to return to more arduous ways. So it is with gravel roads; we take measures to avoid unpaved roads and in doing so, we eliminate some of the most rewarding experiences.

Marko has been at the leading edge of the Minnesota Gravé Scene (which has been at the leading edge of the American Gravé Scene), going so far as to build a custom carbon gravel racer called Le Graveur tuned not for CX but for fast racing on gravel roads and snow machine trails. Limited paved roads has lead race organizers to look for alternatives and the result has been several great rides cropping up in the Midwest, East Coast, and in Montana. Challenge has even developed a tire named after one of Minnesota’s most popular gravel races, the Almanzo. Its exciting stuff, and I’ve caught the bug myself; I’ll be planning several big Gravé rides this summer with the boys at Veloforma in Portland as well as some up in Northern Washington near Mazama. What could be better than riding a road bike on gravel roads in the quiet of the wilderness? Not much.

I digress; riding gravel is nothing new, and until the last 30 or so years, most races featured some manner of gravels roads, especially once races hit the mountains. The Italian race l’Eroica, is a throwback to those days, sending the riders over the glorious white gravel roads known as the Strade Bianche. It may not be pavé, but with steep climbs and long sections of gravel racing, this is one of the most unique and best races of the year. And the lack of cobblestones won’t stop me from praying for rain. On a side note, stay tuned for a Keepers Tour coming to this area in the coming years.

Enough of the chatter, lets get onto the Naming of the Picks for the 2013 L’Eroica/Strade Biache. As usual, enter your picks by 5am Pacific time on Saturday. If you can’t do Time Zone Math, just watch the countdown timer in the banner and put your picks in before it goes to zero. Points go towards the season-long Velominati Super-Prestige competition; the winner will receive a personalized shop apron. Check the start list and try to pick riders who are actually going to be there; I know that’s a stretch. Good luck.

Gratuitous Photos of @Marko’s Le Graveur

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Le%20Graveur/”/]

[vsp_results id=”22350″/]

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287 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: L’Eroica/Strade Bianche 2013”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. van Avermaet
    2. Valverde
    3. Pavel Brutt
    4. Pozzato
    5. Cancellara

  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan, Peter
    2. Cancellara, Fabian
    3. Pozato, Filippo
    4. Farrar, Tylar
    5. Vanmarck, Sep

  4. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Fredrik Kessiakoff
    3. Fabian Cancellara
    4. Thomas Dekker
    5. Pavel Brutt

  5. In honor of the fact that the race is being held in Italy I’ve decided to go with an all-Italian roster. I was going to stick to the members of Team Cinzano, but after that regrettable incident with the frame pump in the spokes they are dead to me.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. BELLETTI Manuel
    2. POZZATO Filippo
    3. PAOLINI Luca
    4. CUNEGO Damiano
    5. GASPAROTTO Enrico

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Fabian Cancellara
    2. Cadel Evans
    3. Peter Sagan
    4. Greg Van Avermaet
    5. Filippo Pozzato

  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. Fabian Cancellara
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Oscar Gatto
    4. Van Avermaet
    5. Taylor Phinney

  9. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Cancellara
    3. Boom
    4. Pozzato
    5. van Avermaet

  11. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Sagan
    3. Valverde
    4. Van Avermaet
    5. Pozzato

  12. VSP PICKS:

    1. Fabian Cancellara
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Androni Giocattoli
    4. Greg Van Avermaet
    5. Alejandro Valverde

  13. Love this race!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Sagan
    3. Slagter
    4. Cunego
    5. Van Avermaet

  18. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Sagan
    3. Van Avermaet
    4. Pazzato
    5. Paolini

  19. BTW Can someone please pick the assonantally pleasing Matteo Rabottini from Vini Fantini?

    @ChrisO – is “assonantally” a word?

  22. @Bianchi Denti

    BTW Can someone please pick the assonantally pleasing Matteo Rabottini from Vini Fantini?

    @ChrisO – is “assonantally” a word?

    I believe it is. Assonantal is the adjective so assonantally would logically be the adverb, though I think you’d get bonus points for rarity of use.

    Since I’m wearing this hat can I just say (in regard to the article) what so many teachers said to me all those years ago and are probably still saying today… it’s either unique (totally singular and unlike anything else) or it’s not, there is no  gradient.

    “It may not be pavé but with steep climbs and long sections of gravel racing it is unique, and one of the best races of the year.”

  23. VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Avermaet
    2. Cancellara
    3. Gasparato
    4. Pozzato
    5. VanMarcke

  25. Bel mezzo, Marko. (Pedale, did I get that right?)

    Love this race. Brings back happy memories of the Strade Bianche. Probably because I have never been on them in the rain.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Fabs
    2. Sags
    3. Cuddles
    4. Booms
    5. Canhegoes

  26. No three peat for Luigi.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Evans
    3. Sagan
    4. Cancellara
    5. Van Avermaet

  27. What would I know….?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Van avermaet
    3. Cancellara
    4. Boom
    5. Nuyens

  28. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Greg Van Avermaet
    3. Moser
    4. Cancellara
    5. Phinney

  31. @ChrisO Nice.  Black or white.  No shades of gray with “unique”. I think that I might be guilty of misusing this word.  Thanks.

  32. @ralph

    In honor of the fact that the race is being held in Italy I’ve decided to go with an all-Italian roster. I was going to stick to the members of Team Cinzano, but after that regrettable incident with the frame pump in the spokes they are dead to me.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. BELLETTI Manuel
    2. POZZATO Filippo
    3. PAOLINI Luca
    4. CUNEGO Damiano
    5. GASPAROTTO Enrico

    Going all Italian and you didn’t pick Moser???  Just kidding, although he is definitely a wild card chance for this race.

  33. @ChrisO

    It’s curious that one can’t be very unique for the reasons you outline, but that one can undermine an entire Seinfeld scene by being very graceful…

  35. VSP PICKS:

    1. Fabian Cancellera
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Lars Boom
    4. Nick Nuyens
    5. Taylor Phinney

  36. @Pedale.Forchetta

    @Buck Rogers coming from the word hero, something heroic.

    Grazie, Signore! 

    Man, I love the Italian language.  Wish I could speak it.  But after taking 8 years of French through high school and college and living in France for a bit and STILL not being able to speak it, I think I will have to settle for messing up English as my only speakable language!

  39. @Bianchi Denti

    BTW Can someone please pick the assonantally pleasing Matteo Rabottini from Vini Fantini?

    @ChrisO – is “assonantally” a word?

    “Assonantally pleasing”.  Is that a fancy way of saying someone has a nice ass?

  42. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Cancellara
    3. Gatto
    4. Moreno Moser
    5. Greg Van Avermaet

  44. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Sagan
    3. Van Avermaet
    4. Valverde
    5. Flecha

  46. @ChrisO

     

    Since I’m wearing this hat can I just say (in regard to the article) what so many teachers said to me all those years ago and are probably still saying today… it’s either unique (totally singular and unlike anything else) or it’s not, there is no gradient.

    Since I was raised by an English teacher, I admittedly ran as far as I could from the subject, but I cry foul.  Of all the races that have unique features, this one has the most unique features, and is thusly the most unique.  The phrasing endeavors to determine, for multiple things that are unique, the one which deviates furthest from the mean.

    IMO if a race doesn’t have unique features, it is redundant and shouldn’t be contested, but that is neither here nor there.

  49. @Sauterelle

    @Bianchi Denti

    BTW Can someone please pick the assonantally pleasing Matteo Rabottini from Vini Fantini?

    @ChrisO – is “assonantally” a word?

    “Assonantally pleasing”. Is that a fancy way of saying someone has a nice ass?

    Yes, but not in a gay way.

    Vini Fantini should pursue Luca Paolini, Riccardo Chiarini and Fabio Sabatini for their 2014 roster. And Wesley Kreder could go to Lampre-Merida.

    I’ll stop now.

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