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

Minnesota Expat says:

Oct 1 2016 at 6:04 pm

@Brett

Dan Collins opens up a vital gap on Bianchi Denti with another solid performance. Could there be some VSPUE manipulation?

I know you're kidding, but Dan is very consistent. Especially when you check out the last few years of the VSP. Everyone would do well (especially me), to stop doing so much research and just mirror Dan's picks!
Teocalli says:

Oct 2 2016 at 1:38 am

@dancollins

@Brett

OK, I’ll bite. What is VSPUE manipulation? Some of us old guys are a bit dense.

TUE...........becomes..........
dancollins says:

Oct 2 2016 at 3:50 am

@Teocalli

Thank you. I was searching the Lexicon to try to find out what it means. I am one of those cycling fanboys that now completely ignores all the drug use issues. The whole Lance Armstrong thing almost ruined my love for the sport, so my answer to that has been to keep myself in blissful ignorance about all the drug use issues. I even had to look up what "TUE" really meant because I don't read anything that discusses those issues. This year has had some of the best racing I've seen in years (both women and men), so I hate to see the road season end. I'll crawl back under my rock now.
Pedale.Forchetta says:

Oct 2 2016 at 2:39 pm