Velominati Super Prestige: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2013
Outside my window, its pouring rain. My bike is leaning agains the wall in my office, covered in grim and grit from the ride in, which was characterized by equal parts cold, wind, and rain. The spot in the locker room where I changed before my shower was marked by sand and mud, and when I walked to the shower, I left a trail of dirty footprints.
It doesn’t bother me one bit, however. My mind is already cast ahead to Vlaanderen and the Cobbled Classics which kick off this weekend with Omloop Het Neiuwsblad. I still want to call it Omloop Het Volk, and people more brazen than me would call it Gent-Gent and people even more stubborn than that would call it “Feburacing”. (I made that last part up.)
Most importantly, this is when we kick off the third installment of the Velominati Super Prestige. We Keepers are all about the Spring Classics in general and the Cobbled Classics in particular – going so far as to host the second annual Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics in April. (Sign up now, by the way, as we are looking at other projects for Keepers Tour next year and there is no guarantee we’ll hold it on the cobblestones again in 2014.)
With that, we kick off the season-long 2013 Velominati Super Prestige with the first major race on the berggen and Kasseien of VVest Vlaanderen. Name your picks in the boxes below; 7 points for naming the winner correctly, 5 for second place, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, and 2 for fifth. One point for naming a rider to the top five, but getting the place wrong. Points will be amassed over the course of the season, and the winner will win a personalized Velominati Shop Apron. Full Rules and Scoring Guidelines on the VSP Main Page. Starting roster is over on CyclingNews.com. The ladies event will go up later today or first thing tomorrow.
Good luck, and Merckxspeed.
[vsp_results id=”22169″/]
@Barracuda
Excellent choice. He’s a classics specialist in the making. I almost picked him as well, purely because I’m a kiwi!
VSP PICKS:
1. Boasson Hagen
2. Hushovd
3. Boonen
4. Pozzato
5. Boom
VSP Picks
@Mikael Liddy glad cycling is back on, cant stand following a sport that is full of drugs and corruption like AFL or swimming. cue tongue being planted in cheek.
VSP Picks
1. Boasson Hagen
2. Hushovd
3. Boonen
4. Pozzato
5. Boom
Re-arrange any of those in any order, and I expect I’ll still have put the mockers on all of ’em, going by last season’s results. Bring on the racing!
VSP PICKS:
1. Terpstra
2. Hushovd
3. VanMarcke
4. Haussler
5. Gilbert
@cal
says the guy named Chip.
@strathlubnaig
+1 I am following your instincts and goin with my gut too…
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Avermaet, G.
2. Steegmans, G.
3. Nuyens, N.
4. Wijnants, M.
5. Declercq, T.
VSP PICKS:
1. J. Roelandts
2. N. Terpstra
3. F. Pozzato
4. Y. Offredo
5. G. Thomas
Two things:
1. Very cool to see a lot of Canadians in the race. Maybe the dissolution of SpiderTech wasn’t such a bad thing (of course it was, and they’re not coming back””sigh).
2. I can see a youngster stealing this. Jacob Rathe anyone? Taylor Phinney?
VSP PICKS:
1. J. Roelandts
2. N. Terpstra
3. F. Pozzato
4. Y. Offredo
5. G. Thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Lars Boom
2. Niki Terpstra
3. Jurgen Roelandts
4. Tom Boonen
5. Greg Van Avermaet
@Steampunk
Phinney maybe, but I stand by my incoherent ramblings of my picks from one to five.
YES!!!! Another edition of the VSP! I know how motivation for the next ten months. Sweet as!
I LOVE hearing the Sporza announcer say PAYtur SAGanh & SEP vanmarcke.
VSP PICKS:
1. Geraint Thomas
2. Thor Husholvd
3. Sylvain Chavanel
4. Michael Matthews
5. Lars Boom
Terpstra had good form early. Boonen maybe
VSP PICKS:
1. N. Terpstra
2. Hushovd
3. Van Avermaet
4. Boonen
5. Phinney
VSP PICKS:
1. Thor Hushovd
2. Lars Boom
3. Dominique Rollin
4. Edvald Boasson Hagen
5. Johan Van Summeren
VSP PICKS:
1. Sylvain Chavanel
2. Thor Hushovd
3. Vanmarcke
4. Marco Marcato
5. Flecha!
VSP PICKS:
1. Jurgen Roelandts
2. Lars Boom
3. Greg Van Avermaet
4. Niki Terpstra
5. Boss Hog
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Boonen
3. Pozzato
4. Boasson Hagen
5. Flecha
VSP PICKS:
1. boonen
2. hushovd
3. boasson hagen
4. stybar
5. phinney
@Steampunk
I would love to see Jacob take it. He’s a Portland kid that’s got a shit ton of talent. I think he’s a year away yet though.
VSP PICKS:
1. Booooommm!
2. T Boo
3. Nuyens
4. Boss Hog
5. Potatoe
Let’s see how this goes. Damn, I had free Saturdays and Sundays for awhile, now it’s back to planning around the races. Oh well, the life of a Velominatus.
VSP PICKS:
1. Greg vA
2. Niki T
3. Sep VM
4. G. Thomas
5. Lars Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Hushovd
3. Vanmarcke
4. Boasson Hagan
5. Vansummeren
VSP PICKS:
1. Hushovd
2. Boonen
3. Vanmarcke
4. Pozzato
5. Degenkolb
It kind of feels like Las Vegas roll the dice. There are a lot of hungry riders but then again there is the preservation to keep the top guys alive as well. .
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Rollin
3. Hushovd
4. Millard
5. Ladagnous
VSP PICKS:
1. Boasson Hagen
2. Terpstra
3. Vanmarke
4. Thomas
5. Hushovd
Damn! A lot of Canadians in the line up! Sweet!
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Hushvod
3. Dom Rollin
4. Boss Hoggen
5. Lars Boomer!
VSP PICKS:
1. boonen
2. vansummeren
3. tuft
4. boom
5. matthews
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Boom
3. Terpstra
4. Flecha
5. Hushovd
VSP PICKS:
1. Sylv Chav
2. Boom
3. Phinney
4. EB Hagen
5. Geraint Thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Velits
3. Pozzato
4. Rasch
5. Klier
Hello VSP, I’ve been expecting you.
VSP PICKS:
1. Thomas
2. Pozzato
3. Hushovd
4. Boonen
5. Eisel
VSP PICKS:
1. Geraint Thomas
2. Niki Terpstra
3. Greg Van Avermaet
4. Tom Boonen
5. Bernard Eisel
VSP PICKS:
1. Edvald Boasson Hagen
2. Tom Boonen
3. Geraint Thomas
4. Lars Boom
5. Filippo Pozzato
Hopefully this is the start of a Big season for Thomas where he really puts his stamp on the cobbled classics. Looking at the Sky team they are full of classics studs so any one of them could be there in the finale. Terpstra is supposed to be going well and will share leadership with Chavanel and Flecha will take his traditional step on the podium.
VSP PICKS:
1. Thomas
2. Terpstra
3. Flecha
4. Boom
5. Dengelkob
VSP PICKS:
1. Lars Boom
2. Sep Vanmarcke
3. Sylvain Chavanel
4. Yoann Offredo
5. Greg Van Avermaet
And the stress levels rise.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Roelandts
3. Hushovd
4. Phinney
5. Nuyens
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Thor
3. Pozzato
4. Chavanel
5. Phinney
VSP PICKS:
1. Hayman
2. Steegmans
3. Turgot
4. Langeveld
5. JVS
VSP PICKS:
1. Thomas
2. Pozzato
3. Vanmarcke
4. Terpstra
5. Stannard
VSP PICKS:
1. Thor Hushvod
2. Lars Boom
3. Sylvain Chavanel
4. Geraint Thomas
5. Greg Van Avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Boonen
2. Niki Terpestra
3. Thor Husholvd
4. Filippo Pozzato
5. Sep Vanmarke
.
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Boonen
2. Niki Terpestra
3. Thor Husholvd
4. Filippo Pozzato
5. Sep Vanmarke
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Thomas
3. Vanmarche
4. Boasson Hagen
5. Phinney
VSP PICKS:
1. Thor Husovd
2. Tom Boonen
3. Niki Terpstra
4. Lars Boom
5. Henrich Haussler
VSP PICKS:
1. S. Chavanel
2. Lars Boom
3. Pozzato
4. Thor!
5. Phinney
<<
VSP PICKS:
1. N Terpstra
2. G Thomas
3. T Hushovd
4. T Boonen
5. B Eisel
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Vanmarke
3. Van Avermaet
4. Terpstra
5. Pozzato
I am concerned that some people in the off season are mixing up Cyclo-X, with Cross Training, with Cross Dressing. This is unlikely to yield strong results in the Spring Classics!
VSP PICKS:
1. G Thomas
2. Thor Hushovd
3. Flecha
4. Chavanel
5. Pozzato