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.

Next Friday Night Lights »

Previous « Guest Article: The Art of Noodling

View Comments

chubster says:

Sep 11 2011 at 9:53 pm

credit for sagan? list not our faulty. pretty sure no one got costa or fedrigo. a lot of gilberts, probably strongest but got marked out. tends to work out that way because the mont royal is too far from the finish. can attack there to make a selection but it won't stick, unless the pack miscalculates. the favorites never get away but dark horses can if there is a miscalculation. sanchez had a go but left his move too late. if he bridges, it probably all comes back together. they won't tow him to the line. funny thing how this race tends to work out. the winner won't be a fluke but not likely a favorite either. still remember watching kelly and lemond eye each other while kelly's guy muller took off for the win.
mouse says:

Sep 11 2011 at 11:29 pm

@chubster
Hmm, I picked RDC for P2.
Credit for Sagan? Suggest you meditate on Rule 5.
Insert prohibited smile facsimilie produced by typing colon and ending parentheses in sequential order here.
drsoul says:

Sep 12 2011 at 2:45 am

There seems to be no better way to miss the entry zone for a VSP event than being in an airplane traveling thousands of km from home and when finally somewhat adjusted to one's new locale, finding a way to check in with this community, only to discover that, yup, you've blown it again. I did it before with La Vuelta and here I am again doing it with the Grand Puba Whateverthisraceis...

In the words of that great sage Charlie Brown, "Good Grief".

Should I simply concede the Sacred Apron at this point? Sigh.
Ron says:

Sep 12 2011 at 4:38 am

I need to get to this one year soon. PRO bike racing in Montreal in September? Sounds awesome.
Dr C says:

Sep 12 2011 at 7:20 am

don't you just love him...

"Honestly, I think that third place is a superb result because I crashed and I was really scared," Gilbert said. "When I hit the ground I told myself maybe it was over for the world championships. I managed to get back on the bike and I felt better as the race went."

He even gains strength from hitting the tarmac!!
Buck Rogers says:

Sep 12 2011 at 12:47 pm

Wow, with the point for this race and the point for the Vuelta I have scored a whopping 2 points in the VSP in August. I think I must be just about two months from peaking in the VSP!
frank says:

Sep 12 2011 at 3:37 pm

Again, sorry for the tardy scoring of the VSP, but better late than never, yeah?

[vsp_results id="9446"]
[/vsp_results]