Categories: The HardmenVelominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix (Keeper Tip Hotline)

We are quickly arriving at what is, for any Velominatus, the end of the most awesomest week of the year. There have been emails and comments flying around within the community so we thought it would be fun to publicize our plan for honoring the Hardmen of the Cobbles this coming Sunday.

So, with that, we launch the first Keeper Tip Hotline. For those of you who are inclined to leave a comment, please do so and tell us what your plans are and who you are tipping for the podium. Top five places are scored; whoever has the highest cumulative score will get an Obey the Rules prize. Scoring simply runs in reverse order; 5 points for first, 1 point for 5th.

Update (13 April 2010): This competition has been renamed the Velominati Super Prestige. More information on this competition and current results can be found on the Velominati Super Prestige Page.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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frank says:

Apr 12 2010 at 7:54 am

@Marko
I beg to differ. LeMond was a hard man. In his early years, racing over the stones like no American had before. He then won the tour (twice) shot through like swiss cheese with lead pellets all over. Very hard.

We're just jaded by the fact that the guy is such an amazingly enormous twatwaffle nowadays.
frank says:

Apr 12 2010 at 7:56 am

@Joe, @Rob

Cancellara was amazing. Boonen, I think, lost his morale after working so hard and having no one else help out; I think he let it frustrate him. And then the way the group refused to work was an example of professionals at their stupidest. How can you let a man like that up the road and still think it best to play tactical games rather than to work together to bring him back. Twelve riders (or whatever) to one should have been able to shut out even the Great Spartacus.

But, Boonen, was broken and I think he went to the back to recoup and BANG! Fabien saw his chance. And then he finished 'er off in great style. Amazing.
Marko says:

Apr 12 2010 at 8:01 am

@frank

interesting point. i suppose turing into a twatwaffle doesn't negate hardman status (eventhough he doesn't have the greatest of palmares in the classics). no doubt he was a badass though.
frank says:

Apr 12 2010 at 8:02 am

@Marko
Trudat. He tried so hard and those idoits all pulled a Hincapie. Serve's 'em right. Hushovd and Flecha were a class below Fabien. Interesting nomination on Flahute status, though. I think we need to wait another season and see what he does next year. He's definitely a candidate, though.
Marko says:

Apr 12 2010 at 8:05 am

@frank

I don't think we need to wait until next year. Two wins in the velodrome and the Ronde-Roubaix double in dominating fashion is impressive. If he cooks the rest of the peloton over the cobbles at the tour I think flahute may be in order.
frank says:

Apr 12 2010 at 8:09 am

@all

Well, I tallied up the points, and it looks like Rob "The Stroke" won the Paris-Roubaix edition of the Keeper Tip Hotline. The podium was rounded out by Marko and Brett:

1. Rob, 7 points
2. Marko, 5 points
3. Brett, 4 points

Rob, I'll be mailing you an "Obey the Rules" bumper sticker.

We'll be continuing The Keeper Tip Hotline for the major races throughout the season and tallying up the points as we go, ending with the Giro di Lombordia. At the end of the season, the reader with the most points will receive a free Velominati shop apron.
frank says:

Apr 12 2010 at 8:11 am

@Marko
So, is Boonen a Flahute? Surely two Flanders crowns and three Roubaix titles deserves the nomination as well?
Marko says:

Apr 12 2010 at 8:21 am

@frank

Sure, why not, plus he's Belgian. What get's me excited though is the relative youth of Boonen and Spartacus. These next few springs could shape up to be classic duels in the spirit of RDV and Merckx. Throw in a few modern-day Ballerinis, Mosers, Maertens, and Tscmill's and we could be at the dawn of another legendary period for the classics.
frank says:

Apr 12 2010 at 8:47 am

@Marko
Yeah, seriously. How rad is that?
frank says:

Apr 12 2010 at 10:38 am

Not surprisingly, Flecha was once again blamed for destroying the chances of the other riders in the chase. That guy is not a hardman. He's more like a crusty man. Boonen:

It was especially Flecha. When I attacked I was confronted with the headwind and with Flecha on my wheel. I can understand you ride tactically if you're riding for the win, but not for second, fifth or twentieth place. That's not important. It's only the first place that matters.

Boonen was so annoyed, he didn't even want the podium.

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