Velominati Super Prestige: Giro di Lombardia 2016

Quietowski leads the remnants of the break around Lake Como. Photo: pedale.forchetta

I turned forty last week. Nothing feels different except all my strength has gone, my memory sucks, and everything hurts now. That, and everything makes me mad because it isn’t the way it used to be. Case in point: the Giro di Lombardia is no longer the last race of the year. (I know it hasn’t been for a while but no one counts that race in Japan or the Tour of Beijing as real races.) And they moved it up so early in the season that the leaves aren’t even falling yet. We call it the race of the falling leaves for a reason, people!

Christ, I miss the Cold War.

At least we can count on @pedale-forchetta to be at the roadside, delivering the most badass photos on the most badass part of the route.

For those of you entering the VSP, don’t let the fact that Paris-Tours and the Words haven’t happened yet fool you. Lombardia is this weekend even though it will barely be October by the time they hit the start line. Get your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero. (Countdown clock’s been fixed, by the way, just in time for the season to end – you’re welcome.)

Kick it.

[vsp_results id=”73758″/]

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.

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View Comments

John Irvine says:

Sep 30 2016 at 6:05 am
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Alaphilippe
3. Poels
4. Ulissi
5. Dumoulin
dinosaurJR says:

Sep 30 2016 at 6:46 am
Is "Not Pepper Spray" a usable nickname for GVA?

VSP PICKS:
1. GVA
2. Esteban Chaves
3. Fabio Aru
4. Tom Dumoulin
5. Dan Martin
ramenvelo says:

Sep 30 2016 at 7:05 am
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Alaphilippe
3. Uran
ramenvelo says:

Sep 30 2016 at 7:05 am
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Alaphilippe
3. Uran
4. Gilbert
5. Aru
Lebowski Achiever says:

Sep 30 2016 at 7:20 am
VSP PICKS:
1. Diego Ulissi
2. Dan Martin
3. Wout Poels
4. Simon Yates
5. Rigoberto Uran
tony macaroni says:

Sep 30 2016 at 7:20 am
VSP PICKS:
1. Julian Alaphilippe
2. Dan Martin
3. Philippe Gilbert
4. Gianluca Brambilla
5. Simon Yates
tony macaroni says:

Sep 30 2016 at 7:24 am
Ron says:

Sep 30 2016 at 8:04 am
Happy belated birthday, Big Frank!

I'm getting old too, and my body is letting me know. I play futbol twice a week on an artificial surface. Considering I played college sports on one as well, my body is pretty tired of 20 years of that pounding on my joints and lower back

. NOT easy getting out of bed the next day, my ankles and feet as so stiff I have to walk like a peg leg until they loosen up.

VSP PICKS:
1. Julian Alaphilipe
2. Bauke Mollema
3. Dan Martin
4. Fabio Aru
5. Greg van Avermaet
BacklashJack says:

Sep 30 2016 at 8:29 am
Cycling weather is finally upon us in Arizona!

VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Rigoberto Uran
3. Wout Poels
4. Julian Alaphilipe
5. Bauke Mollema
Erik says:

Sep 30 2016 at 8:37 am
Contador out. Uran in. All my picks are dark horses ('cept maybe Martin).

VSP PICKS:
1. Igor Anton Hernandez
2. Darwin Atapuma
3. Dan Martin
4. Damiano Cunego
5. Rigoberto Uran