Velominati Super Prestige: 2011 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal

The Hope of a Nation. Photo: Velonews

Americans love making fun of Canada. I suppose that even the very fact that we call ourselves “American’s” and not “United Statesians” is a bit of a slap in Canada’s face, but the fact of the matter is that, apart from their odd unit of measure and equally odd postal system, there isn’t much wrong with Canada. In fact, Canada even hosts the only North American cycling event that we consider worthy of a VSP; the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. (That’s not entirely true; we consider the GP Cycliste Québec, which took place today, to be equally worthy, but we got our timing wrong and everyone knows that revising your model is better than admitting you made a mistake.)

The eastern part of Canada has it all: hills, towns filled with a European atmosphere, and – most importantly – cycling fanatics. Indeed, this is a serious race which boasts serious statistics; with 4,000 meters of climbing over 200 kilometers, it surely stands alongside classics like La Doyenne in terms of sheer difficulty. But unlike the classics and more like a World Championship course, the GP Cycliste Montréal is contested over a circuit, which is good for the fans and gives the riders ample opportunity to decide where they will launch their winning move or, more likely, which of the steep hills will stamp their ticket to the Hurt Locker when the spindly Dutch climbers move to the front and pump up the jam.

But knowing a few things about a course doesn’t make picking a winner any easier. If GP Cycliste Québec showed us anything, it’s that always gambling on the Big Rider with the Big Name doesn’t assure one of getting any points. Besides, what’s the fun in always picking the same bloke? Take a look at the start list, because the geniuses over at the UCI Scheduling Committee made sure to schedule this in conflict with the Vuelta, so not everyone you want to see will be on the startlist. Use your Powers of Deductionâ„¢ to decide your Top V, fill in the blanks and pick up an Obey The Rules bumper sticker for your trouble.

Good luck.

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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View Comments

anotherdownunder says:

Sep 10 2011 at 5:07 am

VSP PICKS:

1. Gilbert
2. Gerrans
3. Ryder
4. Gesink
5. Hincapie
Steampunk says:

Sep 10 2011 at 5:11 am

Anyone else notice GarVelo's absence in Quebec? Back to their early spring non-factoring. Sky looked weak, too, until Uran picked it up at the end.

VSP PICKS:

1. Gesink
2. JC Peraud
3. Pete Rolland
4. Ten Dam
5. Barry
Souleur says:

Sep 10 2011 at 6:10 am

VSP PICKS:

1. gilbert da baer
2. eddievald
3. TeJay
4. Sagan
5. Ryder
il ciclista medio says:

Sep 10 2011 at 6:18 am

VSP PICKS:

1. PhilGil
2. Ryder on the storm
3. Duran Duran
4. Gessing
5. Gerran getit
Ron says:

Sep 10 2011 at 6:52 am

VSP PICKS:

1. Gilbert
2. EBH
3. Sagan
4. Gerrans
5. Ryder
R00td0wn says:

Sep 10 2011 at 8:33 am

Did I make the time cut?

VSP PICKS:

1. Gilbert
2. Gerrans
3. EBH
4. Ryder
5. Gesink
frank says:

Sep 10 2011 at 9:41 am

How are we feeling about Gilbert's streak this season? He's showing some Merckxian form here, with what appears to be the longest peak in history.

Loads of panache, loads of the V, no doubt. A streak like this is possible, I suppose, if he's so much better than the rest that he can win without peaking, but that's not really the way the sport has been tracking lately, with the gaps between riders getting small, not bigger.

I'm starting to pick up whiffs of chemical after-smell.
pakrat says:

Sep 10 2011 at 9:44 am

VSP PICKS:

1. Gilbert
2. EBH
3. Ryder
4. Gerrans
5. Gesink
ChrisO says:

Sep 10 2011 at 10:17 am

@frank

Say it aint so Joe...

I think you're being a trifle harsh - it's not like he was an also-ran who has turned into a phenomenon overnight. He started last season in similar form but couldn't maintain it as long, which suggest evolution rather than (drug-induced) revolution.

And his feats have not bee Merckian, in the sense that he wasn't able to pull it out for a grand tour. He did well at the start of the TDF and then faded, as would be expected.

Personally I think Gilbert is awesome - no rider has excited and inspired me so much since Pantani (unfortunate associations aside).

Frankly (and don't tell Scaler) if I had to, with a pro-cyclist, it would be Gilbert.
frank says:

Sep 10 2011 at 10:28 am

@ChrisO
Fair enough, and I'm certainly not accusing him of doping, I'm just starting to have a bit of the suspicions. It's a long peak he's been running and I think in the climate we're in, it's only natural to ask the question, "Is this reasonable?"

But don't forget, the days of the drug-induced spike in performance are long gone - that was the stuff of steroids and amphetamines before EPO. These days, the top riders are on regimens that bring their body up to this level gradually and hold it for long periods - just look at Pharmy's 7 Tours. That's no flash in the pan, but the notion that he rode those clean has long since gone the way of the whippoorwill, n'est pas?

To be clear, wondering if he's on drugs has nothing to do with liking him. The racing is spectacular and that's enough for me. My list of favorite riders reads like a who's-who in doping; Ullrich, Pantani, Basso, Hamilton, Di Luca...Doping is a part of our sport, like it or not. I'd prefer that it be clean, but...