Velominati Super Prestige: Gent Wevelgem 2014
The Kemmelberg is a brute. In my opinion, its the hardest of the cobbled climbs in the Spring Classics; it has a high speed tarmac approach that saps the guns of their snap. The transition from tarmac to cobbles is awful, the stones are very badly laid throughout and if you don’t hit it just right, you’ll come to a standstill. The cobbled part of the climb is long enough to make you consider a plea-bargain with any deity willing to listen before it ends with a brutal 23% ramp with good cobbles. The length, the camber, the gradient, and the way the stones are laid combine in a way that makes you feel every centimeter of the climb.
Gent Wevelgem is considered a sprinters classic, but it’s a shock considering how many climbs are along the route. I can’t imagine the Italian curses that must have escaped Cipollini’s mouth along his bumpy way to winning the race. No wonder he chucked the odd bidon at a motorbike.
I miss the old setup of the Cobbled Classics, with the Ronde on Sunday, Gent on Wednesday, and Roubaix on Sunday, but on the plus side, now we get to drool over the racing for three weeks instead of just one. So, check the start list, review the VSP Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Sunday the 30th. If you think we mapped one of your picks wrong, use the dispute system and we’ll review it. Also remember to be precise enough in your description so we know which rider you mean; in other words, if you enter “Martin”, we will use our discretion (read: wild guess) to decide if you mean Tony or Dan – and that choice will not be negotiable once the the countdown clock goes to zero, so be sure to give yourself enough time.
Don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:
- First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
- Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
- Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.
Good luck, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.
[vsp_results id=”29351″/]
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VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Cance
4. Degenkolb
5. Farrar
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Fabian Cancellara
3. Tom Boonen
4. John Degenkolb
5. Tyler Farrar
VSP PICKS:
1. EBH
2. G Steegmans
3. J Degenkolb
4. P Sagan
5. L Paolini
Instinct tells me Andre the Giant will finish in the top five, but I’m buying stock in Kristoff after his finish in San Remo. He had solid finishes in the 2013 Classics, he is only 26, and is Norwegian (that keeps the Scandahoovian VMH interested).
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Fabian Cancellara
3. Tom Boonen
4. John Degenkolb
5. Alexander Kristoff
VSP PICKS:
1. SAGAN, Peter
2. KRISTOFF, Alexander
3. DEGENKOLB, John
4. DEMARE, Arnaud
5. BOZIC, Borut
My picks
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Zdnek stybar
3. Geraint Thomas
4. Fabian Cancellara
5. Tom boonen
Vsp
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Kristof
5. Degenkolb
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Boonen
2. Peter Sagan
3. Alexander Kristoff
4. John Degenkolb
5. Arnaud Démare
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Farrar
4. Degenkolb
5. Boonen
VSP PICKS:
1. spartacus
2. stybar
3. boonen
4. kristoff
5. stannard
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Cancellara
3. Vanmarcke
4. Greipel
5. Stybar
Here’s hoping
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Degenkolb
3. Kristoff
4. Sagan
5. Cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Degenkolb
3. Vanmarke
4. Boonen
5. Farrar
No Cav because they don’t allow pie on the bergs.
VSP PICKS:
1. Stybar
2. Faboo
3. Sagan
4. Vanmarcke
5. Kristoff
VSP PICKS:
1. Kristoff, Alexander
2. Sagan, Peter
3. Farrar, Tyler
4. Boonen, Tom
5. Degenkolb, John
VSP PICKS:
1. sagan
2. farrar
3. degenkolb
4. stybar
5. van avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Stannard
3. Cancellara
4. Keisse
5. Stybar
From the home office
VSP PICKS:
1. Pete Sagan
2. Fabian Cancellara
3. Tom Boonen
4. Alexander Kristoff
5. Zdnek Stybar
VSP PICKS:
1. John Degenkolb
2. Arnaud Demare
3. Peter Sagan
4. Tyler Farrer
5. Alexander Kristoff
VSP PICKS:
1. Greipel
2. Degenkolb
3. Sagan
4. Demare
5. Farrar
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Kristoff
3. Boonen
4. Degenkolb
5. Paolini
done
VSP PICKS:
1. boonen
2. stannard
3. stybar
4. sagan
5. boom, lars
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Stybar
4. Cancellara
5. Greg Van Avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. F. Cancellera
2. T. Boonen
3. E. Boasson Hagen
4. P. Sagan
5. T. Farrar
Delgadoed
Stannard in the ditch again. That poor bastard. Rough spring so far for him.
Tommeke doing better than I thought he would with his thumb, although he has been massaging it and shaking it out a few times so far today.
Well, glad I left out Tommeke. So far my kiss of death VSP selections are missing one Stannard. Who’s next?
Quiz time: when was the last time Saxo-Tinkoff was so involved in animating a Spring race?
@Steampunk
Trick question? They are a new team this Spring, no? At least this iteration.
Starting to like the way this 7cast broadcast looks.
Speaking of animated, Devolder has been prominent last couple of races.
The peloton needs to get their collective act together. Now.
Greipel and Thomas down!
Degenkolb’s the fastest man left? Quiz time: last moustachioed winner of a spring race?
Well that’s 3 of my picks on the floor in one go
Damn
@boomboom-84 with a clear win over @xyxax. Awesome race; hope those crashes didn’t cause too many injuries.
That’s the last time I make the mistake of picking Goss for anything, I swear he has to have “non-performance” bonuses written in to that rather fat contract of his…
@Mikael Liddy Swap out Goss for Farrar and I feel exactly the same way
@ramenvelo guess who I had sitting right about Gossy in the #4 slot? At least Farrar was in the mix til that last crash…Goss got shat out the back before the last time up the Kemmelberg!
I like this Demare kid. He needs to get his timing dialled in, but he’s got a helluva kick.
@LA Dave
A Thor sighting? Well, that’s bound to wreak havoc with my P-R picks. Either I’m going to think he’s finally got this and he’ll roll in 57th about seven minutes back, or I’ll ignore him and he’ll finally win the damn thing. There’s no justice…
Great race to watch and feels good to be on the board with some points. I was a little surprised that there were no English language feeds for the race.
Paging Alexander Kristoff, paging Alexander Kristoff…
Bloody scoring system. 3 out of the top 5, but in completely the wrong order.
Oh were we supposed to pick the winners, I thought it was who would crash………..
@Steampunk Yeah Demare will be considered more seriously for upcoming picks. Good choice.
@Steampunk
I think we are safe leaving Thor off our P-R list. Goss and Farrar too. Fabs must have been out for the training today.