Categories: Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro di Lombardia

No event of the year is more likely to provide piles of Rule #9 in the Five and Dime than il Giro di Lombardia. A hilly circuit around Lake Como ensures lots of climbing and that the bunch is blown to bits before the finish. Add to that its position as the last classic of the season, nestled in amongst the falling leaves of mid-October, and you’re nearly certain the weather will be terrible. The fact that it is being moved from October to September is distressing on several levels, not least that I’m certain the weather will be better. Good for the riders, bad for us; the way you hear some of the race organizers and the UCI talk, you’d almost thing they actually put the riders’ well-being before the amusement of the public. That can’t be right.

But most importantly, the Giro di Lombardia represents the final edition of this year’s VSP. The results are all but buttoned up for Nate, although both Marcus and G’Phant are in with a mathematical chance of taking over the win with a perfect score and Nate pulling a Delgado.

VSP G.C.
1. Nate (120 points)
2. Marcus (109 points)
3. G’phant (107 points)

(Antipodal VSP Podium. Interesting.)

You know the drill, get your picks in by 5am Pacific on Saturday. Depending on how things go, we may be late to post the final results as the race organizers and the UCI scheduled the event in conjunction with the Seattle Cogal. Oh, and if you don’t know what time 5am Pacific is and your Google Skills are not sufficient to elucidate that for you, I suggest you simply don’t cut it too close.

Good luck.

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

Marcus says:

Oct 16 2011 at 8:09 pm

@minion
Really? I always thought Kiwis could get the dole here? They musta changed the rules at some stage?

Joolia arousing?!? That is the simultaneously the dumbest and most offensive thing you have ever said. And that's saying something.

Have you seen the size of her Khyber Pass? Have you heard her speak? You do know she is one of God's Clowns?
ChrisO says:

Oct 16 2011 at 8:25 pm

@Marcus

@minion
Let me guess- 4 more years until most Australians think too hard about rugby again?
To get an idea of where rugby stands in the national psyche all you need to know is what the TV stations here pay for the telecast rights for the sport - compared to AFL, rugby league (for the Qld & NSW proletariat) cricket and soccer. Last by a looooong way.
But felicitous congratulations to you - I know it's a big thing for you people.

More like four more years before anyone gives it even a fleeting thought, let alone think hard about it. Having said that surely most Aussies would prefer the Kiwis to win than the French - might have been a tougher call if it was Wales.

I used to quite like rugby but over the last 20 years or so it has become so dominated by technical rules that the aim seems to be mainly to not give away penalties and secondly to score tries. They show the Aussie rugby league here, which has more moments of skill and generally a greater emphasis on attacking play to score, not defensive or positional tactics.

That's the good thing about cycling - apart from very odd occasions involving Mark Cavendish, it's almost always about who was hardest, fastest and strongest.
Oli says:

Oct 16 2011 at 8:34 pm

oh lol
minion says:

Oct 17 2011 at 12:19 pm

@Marcus

@minion

Joolia arousing?!? That is the simultaneously the dumbest and most offensive thing you have ever said. And that's saying something.

Shoot for the stars is what I say.
Buck Rogers says:

Oct 18 2011 at 8:24 am

Am I the only one going through MASSIVE withdrawal right now? I am trying to get into following the CX season but it just doesn't do it for me. All I can look forward to now is the most likely further November delay of the Cuntador case and the exciting news that the Landis hacking case is now going to trial. Man, it's going to be a looonnngggg off season.

(also can look forward to trying to figure out how to shut off the italics font as well, I guess.)
wiscot says:

Oct 18 2011 at 8:53 am

@minion
Hey, some folks (not me, I'd like to make perfectly clear) found Margaret Thatcher attractive. Must have been pathetic, submissive types who were not Rule 5 compliant.
frank says:

Oct 18 2011 at 9:09 am

Finally catching up; great race and congrats to Nate on a well-deserved win. We'll be making up the apron and getting it sent out. Cheers.
Nate says:

Oct 18 2011 at 10:06 am

@frank
I am honored to stand on the podium with Marcus and G'phant. Thanks to the organizers for a magnificent parcours.

@Buck Rogers
How many months till Het Niewsblad?
frank says:

Oct 18 2011 at 10:20 am

@Pedale.Forchetta

Hello guys, here Zaugg seconds after his win.
I've really enjoyed the race.

What a shot!! Perfect capture of the moment. The motion of the woman in the background as well. A masterpiece.
ChrisO says:

Jan 21 2012 at 6:56 am

So, while we wait in breathless antici

pation for the VSP to begin again, has anyone started doing Fantasy Cycling ?

Road.cc have an excellent and free game which has been updated for this season with a really good interface.

I'm there already (Desert Dogs, under abudhabichris) but if other people want to join or are already in we could set up our own mini-league.