Rain. Cobbles. Bergs. Professional cyclists reduced to mortals who clammer up steep, slick cobbled grades on shoes not made for walking. Gent-Wevelgem is the teaser for the month of April, when the hardmen come to play on the stones of Belgium and Northern France. Personally, I liked it better when it was sandwiched between the two greatest one-day races of the year, De Ronde and Roubaix. On the other hand, Gent has been the Classic’s bridesmaid for long enough and deserves its own weekend, even if that still makes it a warm-up race to be won by someone who’s not enough weeks away from peaking.
The Flemish word for “hill” is “berg”, and to ask any cyclist who doesn’t live there, they’ll tell you Flanders is rife with them. The truth is that most of Flanders is quite flat, save for a ridge which calls itself home to some of the most fearsome cobbled climbs in the world. Among these is de Kemmelberg, which features as the primary obstacle for Gent Wevelgem. Steep and cobbled, on a dry day it serves as the decisive climb on the finishing circuit of three laps; on a rainy day it will reap havoc on the field.
With that, we kick off the second edition of the 2011 Velominati Super Prestige for Gent-Wevelgem. Like La Primavera, Gent is enough of a wild-card that this is a tough race to call. It rarely ends in a bunch gallop, but it’s not difficult enough to eliminate sprinters from the finale. The riders targeting Flanders or Roubaix will not quite be peaking yet, but the race isn’t so difficult that a rider two weeks from peaking can’t win. Our advice? Go with the gut, and try to pick people who are actually starting.
The winner of this VSP edition will earn an “Obey the Rules” bumper sticker and all reader’s points qualify towards the final prize of the free personalized Velominati Shop Apron. This year we’ve enhanced the entry mechanism; if you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the designated area above the posts section, bearing in mind that entry/modification of picks closes at 5am Pacific time on the day of the race. Check the Super-Prestige main page for rules and scoring information.
Good luck.
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DAMN! There goes my jersey! :) (feel like I just got caught with some Spanish beef hanging out of my mouth!)
Man, I think Cavendish is awesome, esp whenever he opens his mouth. The guy has NO FILTER at all and is really refreshing. If given the option of hanging out with him or Cuddles, I'd Cavendouche anyday. Sure the guy can complain, and cry like a little girl on the podium, but he is REAL and for that, I like him!
@Ron
Cav rode past Cipo pedaling one-legged. That sort of shit can never be forgotten or forgiven.
As for being quick to judge people on relatively scant evidence, my ability in this area extends beyond sportspeople to any member of society.
@Buck Rogers
thank god you all don't hate him, he's our only world class rider. We've got a few lads promising (Swift, Kennaugh, Thomas), but we need a basis for the sport in our country grow. And about the straight forward nature of his statements, it's just a feature of anybody from the north of Britain (Manx counts as its intrinsically linked with Liverpool), got a load of americans with me a uni and how straight forward i put things threw them for a few weeks
@Ron
Yeah, I lived in Germany and so my first exposure to the word was there, where it has a different context, which is what I was trying to explain. English speakers only really apply it to celebritards/sportspeople they don't like, wheras the way it was used when I encountered it being used in German had a context of freindliness and admiration.
@ Buck Rogers - The lack of a filter on Cav is what I really like about him. I've come to cycling from other sports, mainly American ones, where all anyone says anymore is something stupid and boring. Maybe he is a bit over the top some days, but at least I hear what is on his mind instead of what he is coached to say, lest he lose a sponsor or two.
@ Marcus - ha, ha, ha, Yeah, you gotta judge people sometimes. And it is even fun to do. Nothing wrong with forming an opinion on someone.
@ minion. I actually like the word/idea/sentiment. I am just always a bit jarred when something comes out of nowhere and is suddenly everywhere. I was just being cranky. Good work on the dictionary entries!
Damn, just watched the finish of both races again. Oooh, so excited for this weekend. Cancellara just...rode away and stayed away. Boonen used his team and showed some finishing speed. Awesomeness.
Those photographers need to stay off the course though.
I'd like to draw attention to Faboo's casually deliberate kit adjustment at 6:30...
http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=E3%20Prijs%20Vlaanderen%20Highlights%20Part%202/Finish&dashboard=uci-cycling-calendar&id=1ctkUu72jnc&yr=2011
He really is off the scale. No-one will match him when he goes this w/e.
@Buck Rogers
Like being caught by the peleton in velodrome of Roubaix... sorry mate!
Yesterday (was it only yesterday?) Cavendish was, briefly, Cav-in-ditch.
Watching today's race: Greipel gets a lot of deserved criticism to be sure, but the man has a pretty impressive engine. That was quite a finish.