Velominati Super Prestige: Amstel Gold 2015
The VSP must wearily pack its bags in Northern France and head over to the Netherlands. Hung over, you bet. After the Ronde and Paris-Roubaix, everyone is a little beat up. Those cobbles can wear a person down.
For those riders who can kill the short steep Limburg climbs, this is the beginning of their Spring Classics season. The profile of this race looks like a Japanese handsaw: if you are not going up, you are going down. This is the 50th edition of Amstel Gold and despite the race being named for a not entirely interesting beer, a lot of riders are keen for this.
Perhaps I point this out every year but a look at past winners of Amstel Gold makes it look like a race for the Pot Belge users of the peloton. Crank up every hill at maximum power and after thirty-something of them, gaps open up. When Stephan Schumacher won it in 2007 that should have been a tip off. Didn’t Lance do well in this race? Oh well, let’s not go down that rabbit hole.
Everyone knows the VSP deal: free entry and great prizes. No one has a commanding lead so everything is still up for the taking and bragging.
[vsp_results id=”32691″/]
Top 3 and all in the correct order, get in. Knew I should’ve gone with Galopin & not Gilbert but that’s being greedy.
Makes up for the last round of picks where I only got 3 points anyway. Keeps me right in the VSP hunt.
@rfreese888
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xbs8OTEauHc
Another cracking race. Somehow managed to pick the top three but got 2-3 in the wrong order, damn.
Thought I’d be in the laughing group by now, but a few random successes and a close encounter with a Jaegher bike have increased my heart rate somewhat. It will all go south come July (if not May) but a man can dream.
Holy Shiet. That ass hat was actually racing this year! Not drugged up enough to finish though.
@Gianni fucking hell, between he & Rebellin, they must have a pretty good pharmaceutical knowledge in that team!
Rumour has it their Giro wildcard came with a condition that Rebellin doesn’t ride for them.
Another good result has me sneaking around the top 10 overall, unfortunately this week can be where my campaign falls apart off the back of my steadfast refusal to pick Malmerde.
@Mikael Liddy
How must it make you feel when a Grand Tour tells you that you’re not welcome? Giro rejection must hurt.
@Ron
Who was the Italian champ who didn’t ride the Giro because COTHO told RCS that if they wanted HIM to ride, the Italian champ could not? Filippo Simeoni? That has to really suck.
@Mikael Liddy
I’m no Malmerde fan but you have to grant him his consistency. I had him at #3 – correctly for a change!